If Written One By One...

I was very excited to be able to read one of my Underlined Verses in church the other day. (Underlined Verses are the ones which have spoken to me enough to underline. There are too many to call them all favorite.)

“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25

I love this verse. It leaves so much up to the imagination.

I wonder if, as John wrote this, he thought about Jesus' sense of humor. Did He laugh a lot? Was He good at telling jokes, or one of those people who can never seem to tell it right no matter how funny it is? Did Jesus perhaps have a dry sense of humor, or did everything strike His funny bone? Was there a particular joke or story that John wanted to tell, but the Spirit didn't allow it in this account? My personal opinion is He played a few harmless practical jokes on the disciples over the years. I'll bet you Peter was easy to get.

What about Jesus' preferences? Was He known as the guy who loved fresh grapes, or a particular fish? Did Jesus have a favorite color? I wonder if He liked stripes on His robes, or plain cloth? We know He grew up the son of a carpenter, so did He like working with a particular wood best? Cedar, olive, acacia? Was Jesus a morning bird, or a night owl?

I also started thinking about the people they met. I'm sure there were many heart-wrenching stories John could have told us about. Perhaps there was a child or woman Jesus ministered to that always stuck out in John's mind. There might have been a particular look of joy, thanksgiving, desperation, or surprise on someone's face that summed up what Jesus meant to the people. Could John just not find adequate words to describe it?

We so often think of Jesus as fully God, that we tend to forget He was fully human too. It was not easy for Him to accomplish what He did for us, but He did it. We dwell upon and honor His sacrifice on the cross, but forget that He had to endure human life on this earth, under poor circumstances I might add, for 33 years. That's a lot of humanity.

Praise Jesus today not only for the sacrifice of His death, but for the life He lived for you. The life that you couldn't.