Big Jesus: Stories of Faith That Expose the Boxes We Put Him In

By Aaron W. Smith and Michael Freeland Miller

What if King Jesus is bigger than we know?
What if we have barely scratched the surface of who He is?

BIG JESUS is a collection of real life stories that provoke a faith-filled pursuit of the knowledge and wonder of Jesus. In each chapter, the boxes we have put around Jesus are exposed. Aaron's personal storytelling is a relatable and enjoyable read about his everyday testimonies that display and magnify Jesus to be bigger than we could ask or think. From life-changing provision, to a laptop battery miracle, to reconciliation that only Jesus could have brought forth, Aaron's approachable and compelling storytelling takes us on a journey that incites wonder and begs the question, "What if Jesus is bigger than the boxes I have put Him in?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781952421358

Book preview

Chapter 1

BIG BOXES

Jesus is just too big to fit in a box!

I’ve been walking with Jesus now for about a decade, and what a decade it has been. I would have never thought a life with Jesus would be filled with such excitement, wonder, and fascination. Then again, He is the King of the universe, so I am not sure why I, or anyone, would assume differently. You would think it would be a no-brainer that the One who hung the galaxies like they were a sheet is also big enough to move greatly in our lives. I mean, come on! He created the frequency of the lion’s roar, He drew the boundary lines of the ocean’s tides, He fashioned you and me down to the exact mole and wrinkle while in our mothers’ wombs.

Our King of the universe redeems cities and delivers nations, and the world should know Jesus as He is, extremely big. He is the one who provides all our needs, He restores broken families, and He heals broken bodies. He leads us with His voice, and His leadership far surpasses all others. He holds all authority in His name, and in His hands are the keys of death. The greatest news of the gospel is, in fact, this Jesus we read of in scripture who conquered hell, death, and the grave, and is still alive today and moving on the earth. However, what I have realized is that we often miss seeing Him correctly because of our really big boxes we try to put Him in. Let me explain.

When I was a kid, I woke up one Christmas morning to a present under the Christmas tree that was making a strange noise. Every other present was stationary and silent, yet this one was running around and barking. I had never had a barking Christmas present before, so I was more excited than ever. His name was Sparky. At the time, I was a small kid whose smile would reach all the way from ear to ear. The moment I saw this energetic little dog, I let out a goofy smile that revealed I had just recently lost a few teeth, and with my toothless grin, I immediately decided we would be best friends. Sparky was the type of dog that also had a smile that reached from ear to ear, so we fit together perfectly. We were two buddies that thought life was a playground. Sparky and I would play tug-of-war with the tiny plush toy he came with, and we would chase each other around the house. We would even watch TV together when mom would allow it. For some reason, my favorite thing to do with my new furry friend was to put him in a box and push him around. I am not sure why little boys like to do strange things like put puppies in boxes, but when you’re eight years old, it seems like the most exciting idea ever. I would tell Sparky that the box was his own personal dog car as I slid him into it. I’d give him a countdown and then begin to push him across the room! No matter how fast the takeoff or how well I prepped him, we would never make it very far. It seemed as if it was always at the same distance, at the same mark on the floorboard, that Sparky would jump from the box and abandon ship. We would both be out of breath and hearts racing! What a time.

However, pretty soon I learned something about puppies that I didn’t know. Puppies grow! It was inevitable that as Sparky grew, so did the boxes I tried to put him in. I would find whatever box I could that was big enough to put my brown fluffy friend in, and as I searched, Sparky was right by my side the entire time. Sometimes we would find a cardboard box and other times it was the laundry basket, but as time went on, it became more and more challenging to find a big enough box. Eventually, Sparky became so big that the boxes I put him in were not strong enough to hold him, and my barking Christmas present would break free. Our dog car days were over. He was bigger than all the boxes I had, and I knew he could no longer fit in one.

As Christians, we do the same with Jesus. I don’t mean dog car rides to see how far we can get down the hallway, but I do think we sometimes search far and wide to find a big enough box to put Jesus in. Our boxes for Him come in all different shapes and sizes. These boxes are the frameworks we construct to make sense in our mind how and why God moves the way He does… or sometimes doesn’t. Anytime our experience with God outgrows those boxes, then we simply find a bigger box. However, like Sparky, I think it’s time we let God smash the boxes we try to put Him in. We have entire denominations and movements built like boxes that often keep us from seeing just how big God really is. We create theologies and really big words to say God doesn’t speak or move in certain ways today, but maybe all these constructs are just boxes we put Him in. What if we simply chose to believe that He is bigger than our boxes and a really big Jesus?

In John 4, Jesus tells His disciples that He needs to go to Samaria, the place they have been avoiding all their lives. He has an appointment on His calendar with a lady they don’t think He should be meeting with, but since when did Jesus do things based on what we thought is right? So, the disciples go into town to pick up lunch and Jesus heads to the coffee shop for His 1:00 p.m. Kidding, obviously there wasn’t such a thing as a coffee shop in 30 AD Samaria. However, Jesus does head to a public well that many would come to and draw water from. Many times, Jesus would go speak to the crowds, but on this occasion, He was just waiting for one. I don’t know if He waited for a long time or just for a moment, but eventually the woman came, and when she did, she had one of the most significant conversations with our Lord that has ever happened. In case you are unfamiliar with the passage, here is the account of their conversation:

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, «Give Me a drink. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater

than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He." Emphasis added.

John 4:7-26 (NKJV)

Now, this is a famous portion of scripture that you have probably read or heard, but I want to draw your attention to verse 25. We see Jesus the Messiah standing before a woman that knows the prophecy that a messiah will come. She looks at Him and basically says I know that Messiah is coming and when He does, He will tell me what you’re telling me. What’s so profound about this is that the Messiah is right in front of her, and she doesn’t even recognize Him. But she’s saying that when He comes, she will recognize Him. Funny, right? The one she has been waiting for her entire life is standing right before her and she doesn’t even see it! This woman at the well had put God in a box of what it looks like when the Messiah comes. I do not know how she thought He would come, but the way Jesus approached her wasn’t