Decrypting Christ's Nature

Many might feel what is there to decipher in the character or the persona of our Lord? But among these many a people are the ones who actually feel and are confused regarding some of his actions that contradicts and conflicts the notions in their minds. And this can be a result of gross under–evaluation and superficial understanding of his life.

Some are divided over whether Jesus was mean. Undoubtedly the answer is NO!! But we also have to look deeper to actually understand the underlying reason that could be why do we get to see some mean streaks in his disciples if he wasn't mean? For this we should refer to the Holy Bible and try delving deeper in to the matter.

Jesus was in no way mean. Although he did show very strong and staunch image as he confronted and communicated with the hypocrites. In Matthew 23, he compared the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, which is a worse insult than it sounds because the religious leaders prided themselves on their outward righteousness. He was also tough with his followers too. As in Mark 8:14–21 he tells his disciples that they are spiritually blind and their hearts have hardened. When he appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he calls them "foolish ones" and "slow of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25). He told certain Jewish leaders in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil." Our Lord was "gentle, meek and mild," undoubtedly but one has to be very careful and firm in faith and wisely decode the teachings that have been exhorted in the gospels.

He was gentle and meek and mild and kind. But that's not the whole story. He also demanded that his followers commit themselves to him wholeheartedly. He had no patience for hypocrites who took advantage of others while ignoring their own sin. He took a whip and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, driving them out of temple courts because they had made a house of prayer into a marketplace.

Hereby some may think 'Then Jesus was aggresive'. But we have to go beyond that and understand that this was the righteous anger inside of him if we compare this to Moses' anger in Egypt when he struck down an Egyptian soldier. To repent for that he then had to spend forty years in the deserts. So in a way, Jesus' action was justified as he couldn't just bear to see his father's holy place of worship being commercialized by already sinful hypocrites.

The answer may rest in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps some of the Pharisees and those moneychangers whose tables he overturned thought he was mean. After all, it was precisely because of his righteousness that they plotted to put him to death. His zeal for God aroused envy that turned to murderous hatred.

The dictionary's assistance leads us to definitions of 'mean' being offensive, selfish, malicious, contemptible, cruel, vindictive and so on. Here and now I can testify that none of these are and can be applicable to the sanct life of our Lord as we have seen how he laid down his life and gave up everything he had and the most precious life of the one and only son of God to redeem us. What contempt can be there in him when he never condemned anyone throughout his life and embraced the most sinful of sinfuls. With no possessions there was certainly no materialistic vein in him.

None of those words apply to Jesus. Isaiah 42 speaks of God’s servant who will come to establish justice in the land. It is a prophesy of the coming of Christ to the earth. The prophet says of the Servant of the Lord that "He will not shout or raise his voice in public"(v. 2 NLT). That seems like a good standard for evaluating our actions. Mean people use threats to get their way. They shout because they are angry and fearful of losing control. They raise their voice when they would be better served by remaining calm. Mean people use ridicule and biting sarcasm to put others down. They are contentious and unkind and they mistreat others and don’t think anyone of it.

There is a fine line that separates Jesus being what we believe in and what some term as mean, but I can say that Jesus never came close to crossing that line. He was tough when he needed to be tough and tender when he needed to be tender. He was wise enough to discriminate and treat what one should be treated like. That includes blind beggars, sincere questioners, little children and proud Pharisees. Everyone received what was just according the great wisdom of the Lord. Some of them, like the rich young ruler, went away sorrowful, others marveled, the common people loved him, and many of the rulers hated him for his honesty.

So we are left with the question 'Why were some of his disciples so mean?' I don't have the precise or adequate answer for that but one thing I can recommend is to peer into the mirror and reflect on our lives. Being a mean Christian is not just a contradiction in terms; is is also an utter defiance of the teachings and the word we have received from him. Each time we Christians act mean, raise our voices in anger, when our words scathe than heal or lead a life that is not what Lord desires for us, we ourselves give opportunities to others to raise delinquent and impertinent questions about our Lord. It is up to us to concrete what we believe in and we can jostle these blows with ease.