Did Jesus Smile?
I believe that people have a really warped view of Jesus. It’s not their fault—the blame is to fall on the church. We have often painted Jesus as a dull, boring man who spouted out a list of rules and regulations that had to be followed…and we also think He spoke in 1611 King James language.
And my gosh…the pictures we’ve hung in our churches and homes have not boosted His image at all. There he is…pale, skinny, wearing a white robe with a purple sash, a sad look on His face & holding a lamb. Anyone inspired?
I’ve had a different view of Jesus since becoming a Christ Follower in 1990…I don’t seem Him as boring, dull, weak (remember the story of Him clearing the temple—He did it by Himself…He didn’t need any help) and having a really bad taste when it came to fashion. I have always thought quite the opposite.
I challenge you to read Scripture and see this for yourself—everyone wanted to be around Him, tax collectors, prostitutes, children…well, there were the religious people who thought their poop didn’t stink—they didn’t like Him—but pretty much everyone else did.
I think He was a joy to be around—He had to have smiled. In my quiet time right now I am going through the book of John…and I am seeing some things that I KNOW He smiled at. For example, in John chapter two He’s at a wedding. This isn’t your typical 20 minute ceremony—a Jewish wedding in these days was a major celebration—it was a PARTY! And why was He there? To preach against dancing and having fun? Nope—when you examine the text you see that He and His disciples were actually invited guests. Like it or not—Jesus went to a party!
Then in John chapter four He’s talking to the Samaritan woman—they have this really cool conversation about water and He tells her that He can give her water & she will never thirst again. Her response, she is confused and says, “Hey dude, you have nothing to draw water from a well with.” And then she goes on to say—DON’T MISS THIS—“Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well…”
This had to have brought a smile to His face. Here was the created asking the Creator, “Are you better than Jacob—it was he who gave us this well.” Uh, nope—the well was pretty much the work of Jesus—He was involved in Creation…and He created this woman as well—He created the mouth that spoke those words—the mind that had the thought. I think He smiled.
In another section in John the Pharisees asked Him, “Who do you think you are?” Um, yeah—can you imagine the look on their faces when they stepped into eternity—I promise you they had no doubt as to who He was and is! But when they asked Him this question—once again we see the created questioning the Creator—they had no idea—and I believed He smiled.
Or how about the time that the Apostles were going nuts over the temple? (OK—this is in Matthew 24, not John!) They were saying, “Hey Jesus, look at this place—isn’t it awesome, have you ever seen anything this cool?”
STOP! Where did Jesus come from? Heaven! He’s seen far more than our minds can handle! He’s seen the glory of God…and here are some men going crazy over a building. I don’t know about you—but I think He smiled.
Or how about the time the disciples were in a boat and He went two them, walking on the water? (The Bible says they were about 2 and 1/2 miles away from land.) Now Jesus was fully God—but He was also fully man…and every man loves to scare their friends if they can, right? So Jesus is walking on the water and the disciples “cried out” in fear. You may not think so—but I think He smiled.
I’ve said all that to say this—I believe that sometimes the godliest thing that we can do is smile at someone? Trust me—people don’t smile that much anymore—we’re too busy. But I have always seen Jesus in a God honoring smile. You say circumstances are overwhelming. Think about Jesus—He knew He was going to have to pay for the sin of the world—and He still was able to smile, we can learn from that.
Like it or not—Jesus smiled! He’s the coolest to ever walk the planet! So give someone a smile today and watch how it changes their attitude.