My favorite person to think about is Jesus; but, not always for the typical reasons (e.g. He died for me). I often think about Him as a person, a human being, a man with a personality. I think it’s easy to forget that He is like me, a human. I think it’s easy to spiritualize Him and then push Him to another plane of existence where I cannot even relate to Him. In other words, I think it’s easy (I think we all do it) to create a distance between His person and my own. Ultimately, this degrades my ability to relate to Him, personally, which, in turn, diminishes any inspiration to be like Him.
If we separate ourselves from the humanity of Jesus, we’re no longer able to relate to Him in the most meaningful way of all, personally. Jesus had personality, emotions, character, integrity, etc. He walked, felt pain, got tired, was tempted, even. Jesus understands what it means to be like us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is a man. My desire is to know this man intimately, to relate to Him, to love Him for who He truly is.
The above thoughts occurred to me as I was reading Holy Scripture describing Jesus at His second coming.
Behold my servant [Jesus], whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
— Isaiah 42:1-3
During His second advent (ref: during His millennial reign), Jesus will have authority to rule as He sees fit; however, as v3 states, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” Jesus will have compassion for those who are downtrodden because that’s how He is personally made. Stop and dwell on that for a moment. Jesus, the man, will rule with compassion because His heart is built that way. In fact, being the God-man, He’s always been this way (but I’ll withhold that vein of theology for this blog in order to maintain focus).
We need to embrace the humanity of Jesus. We need to adore the fact that He is compassionate, gracious, merciful, loving. These are human characteristics that we can all relate to, personally. We are blessed and inspired when we do (we are hardly ever inspired by people we cannot relate to).
When we do relate to Jesus’ humanity, we’re more likely to aspire to the following:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
— Ephesians 4:32-5:2
As we relate to Jesus, as a human, we begin to bond with His heart through Holy Scripture, understanding how painful it was for Him to see lost sheep. If anyone understands the sinfulness of man, it’s Jesus; and yet, He didn’t rail against people; rather, He sought ways to heal them, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
— Mark 6:34
The more we relate to Jesus, as a person, the more apt we are to follow Him, seeing the world as He does, and maybe even weeping for it the way He did (John 11:35). An unsaved person is most to be pitied – truly. Any arrogance which rubs us the wrong way, whether overt or covert, ought to inspire us to pray for the owner of it. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). He said this knowing that His enemies would murder Him eventually. As evil as murder is, it stems from a lost soul, the most distressing state of all. If there’s ever a cause for compassion, it’s the fate of an unbeliever.
Jesus is a man who loves with abandon. Lost souls are heartbreaking to Him. Until the final judgment is made, may we be like Jesus, who said, “For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47b). Let us be inspired by the person of Jesus to love as He did.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
— Romans 12:9-21
Let us also remember the plight of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, for all of us are tempted to stumble each and every day. And when others fail, let us extend an olive branch to our transgressors, seeking peace, for this is what Jesus would do.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
— Colossians 3:12-17
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins