The Human Side of Jesus: Beyond the Divine.

 

Introduction

Jesus is always depicted as a divine personality, an entity perfect in all aspects. However, if we were to move beyond those miracles and preachings, what if one had to explore the human side of Jesus, the one which felt pain, was sad, and even doubted?


A Divine Mission

The life of Jesus was a mission. He thought that he had been sent by God to save humanity from sin and establish another kingdom. That was surely a very heavy burden to bear. Think of it. Knowing the fate of the universe rested on your shoulders. It sounds like heavy pressure and stress that most of us cannot even imagine.

The burden of such a mission for Jesus must have weighed very heavily on his mental health. Opposition, rejection, and betrayal at every turn probably became the norm. He saw suffering—others' as well as his own. Handling such a heavy load must have been a stressful experience.


Loneliness and Betrayal

Jesus was a lonely man. He had to feel that, even within the best of times, his teachings and mission were to some extent not comprehended properly by his closest confidants, his disciples. He was betrayed by one of his inner circle, Judas, something that cut him to the bone. The loneliness he felt, especially in the moments prior to his crucifixion, must have gone beyond deep.


The Garden of Gethsemane

The night before the crucifixion of Jesus, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He prayed to God to take away from him the cup of suffering. At this moment, the depth of his human fear and woe is revealed. He was aware of what awaited, and he was afraid.

Crucifixion was an arduous, brutal experience. Jesus was subjected to physical torture and humiliation and left hanging on a cross until he breathed his last. The psychological trauma which he underwent is easily gauged. The blow of being abandoned by God, his Father, would have been terrible.


Beyond the Resurrection

Even after his resurrection, not free from tests was the life of Jesus. He had to undergo the disbelief and skepticism of people's minds that failed to believe in him. His mission to spread the gospel had to go on until the end, which was sure to face hostile opposition.

Jesus' life was not all milk and honey. It was a journey filled with agony, suffering, and doubt. But it was also a journey of love, sacrifice, and hope. By understanding the human Jesus, we will be more enriched to understand the depth of love he has towards us and the measure of his sacrifice.



* How do you see that these experiences shaped his character?

* What can we learn from Jesus' example about how we can overcome adversity?

Share in the comments below.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bengaluru Blues

Image
  The horns continued to honk, a dull hum beneath the cacophony of squealing brakes and incessant "beep beep" of auto-rickshaws. Rajesh reclined against the worn seat of his auto, the sun beating hot upon the thin plastic canopy. His leg pained, a throbbing ache that refused to abate. It had been broken in a hit-and-run at the Silk Board junction, and it was healing slowly, too slowly. He observed the crowded Hosur Road in Bengaluru. Buses emitted black smoke, inching through traffic like giant, lumbering brutes. Motorcycles, with two or three riders, sped by, their horns contributing to the cacophony. Peddlers wandered between the stationary cars, hollering, "Sir, Madam, idli, dosa!" above the din. It was a chaos of frustration, a cacophony of impatience, and Rajesh, trapped there as a witness, had a bitter taste in his mouth. He was once a programmer, a coder. He had ambitions of having his own company, of creating the next hot app. He even had a notion, something...
Read more

The Cubbon Tale- Short Story

Image
  The sun let loose its warming rays over the lush decor of Cubbon Park. Tall boughs of a majestic Banyan had reached out on the ground forming an umbrella as tentacles offered a canopy sheltering families spreading out their baskets to have a picnic there. Cheers and laughter among the children playing badminton and football fill up the ambient peace. A little girl, Sonia, was playing with a shuttlecock. She let it fall beside a tree trunk and then ran after it, ponytail bouncing with every step. When she picked up the shuttlecock, she heard strange moaning sounds behind the tree. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she peeped behind the tree. What she saw wrinkled her forehead in worry. A couple, young one, embracing each other passionately, locked mouths, hands exploring each other's bodies. The girl figured they might need help, thinking the moaning was painful. She hastened back to her mother and pulled at her hand. "Mommy, Mommy! Those people need help!". Her m...
Read more

The Cubbon Tale - Ashwin Alex (Short Story) Reflection

A Tale of Generations  The short story, "Cubbon Tales - Look Closer," reads like a seemingly simple tale about a child's curiosity and a mother's dilemma to explain something that is essentially a complex social norm. Yet, beneath all this lies an intense commentary on the changing values of generations and the friction caused when old meets new.  The Clash of Cultures: The story is based on the act of public kissing, which is considered inappropriate by the older generation but harmless by the younger generation. Sonia is the protagonist who seems to be confused regarding her mother's reaction to the couple's show of affection. She portrays innocent curiosity that reflects a generation less held in shackles of tradition and more open to expressing emotions freely. The story reveals how the emphasis of the older generation on social norms is against the desire for self-expression and authenticity by the younger generation.   The Power of Observation and Ques...
Read more