What kind of person is Jesus?
This is Part 1 of the talk I gave on March 14th at the Women’s Mini-Conference in Bristol, Vermont.
Today I’d like to introduce you to Jesus.
Now, maybe, like me, you have been a Christian for many years. Or maybe you are a fairly new believer and are just beginning to learn your way around the Bible. Or maybe you are not even there yet. Maybe you are brand new to all this Jesus stuff. Whatever your stage of spiritual growth is today, I want to introduce you to Jesus—as if you’ve never met him before. My prayer is that you will see Jesus today with new eyes. Will you take a fresh look with me at this person of Jesus? Who is he? What is he like?
If I were to ask you to describe your husband, or your best friend, I think you would have lots of adjectives. Because they have lots of different faces to their personality. You might say they’re witty, but sometimes forgetful. Or maybe they are extravagant at times, but sometimes very practical. Maybe they’re artistic, but often very down-to-earth.
In the same way, if you try to describe Jesus, there are lots of different facets to his personality. As you read through the gospels, you’ll find that sometimes he is light-hearted, sometimes he is very serious. Sometimes we see him weeping, but we also see him full of joy. One time he walked through a wheat field and ate heads of grain right off the stalk. Once he built a campfire and roasted some fish for breakfast. He loved children, and he was kind to the elderly. Sometimes he expressed frustration, and at least once we know that he sang with his friends.
As a side note, I want to encourage you—sometime on your own—to read through one of the gospels (the four books of the Bible that are biographies of Jesus’ life). Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. For starters, pick one, and just read it straight through. Don’t stop to do an in-depth study on a certain passage. Don’t get bogged down in the details. Don’t stop to take notes. It’s very tempting, if you’re like me, to follow those footnotes and look at the chain references that point you to other similar passages, but don’t do that. Save that for another time. Just sit back in a comfortable chair somewhere and read through the story of Jesus’ life. I did this a couple of weeks ago; I read through the book of Matthew, and it took about an hour and a half. Mark took just under an hour. Recently on an airplane I read through Luke, and it took about an hour and a half.
The idea is to get an overview of Jesus’ life. Then if you want, you can go back and look at certain passages in greater detail at another time. That’s always worthwhile, and we are going to do that today with three little stories. But I also believe there is great value in getting the big picture of who Jesus was.
The word “Christian” means “Christ-like.” So, if I’m going to call myself a Christian, I’d better know what it is I’m trying to be like. I’d better know it for myself. Don’t rely on someone else spoon-feeding you from the Bible, whether that is your pastor, or a teacher that you like to listen to, or a podcast, or a facebook or instagram post. Don’t get me wrong—those are all good! But if you are serious about being a follower of Jesus, you should know him for yourself! Really know him. What was he like? What exactly did he teach? How did he interact with people? What kind of person was he?
I think you’ll even find that Jesus had a sense of humor. This struck me the last time I was reading through his famous Sermon on the Mount. If you’ve been a church goer for a long time like me, you’ve probably heard it read in a very serious tone. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Yes, that part is rather serious. But then, a few sentences later, imagine the crowd hearing Jesus for the first time utter these words: “Do you light a lamp and put it under a bowl?” I bet that got some laughs!
Later in the sermon he says, “Watch out for false prophets… By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from a thorn bush? [and the crowd laughs] or figs from thistles? [more laughter] I think he was witty and funny when giving a sermon.
But today I want to zero in on one particular aspect of Jesus’ personality—one that I think you see over and over in his interactions with all sorts of people—his gentleness. You’ll see it in the way he treated outcasts, like the woman at the well. You’ll see it in the way he treated those he healed, like the man who was possessed by a legion of demons. You’ll see it in the way he treated those who came to him with questions, like the rich young ruler. Or the way he spoke to his disciples when they just didn’t get it. And you’ll see it in the gentle way he treated women.
Today I’d like to look closely at three stories of Jesus with women. All three of these stories are from Luke’s gospel, chapter 7 and 8. And I have chosen the NIV translation to include here, just because I find that it flows really well. But I certainly don’t mind if you want to read it from your own Bible, even if it is a different translation.
Look with me now at his gentle nature and see if you do not fall in love with this person, this man Jesus.
Here’s the first story.
Luke 7:11-15 (I’m calling this one “Interrupting a Funeral”)
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
I love that little phrase, “His heart went out to her.” I love that little glimpse into Jesus’ heart. You can just see him reaching out to her and saying, “Don’t cry.” I have wondered if perhaps Jesus is even thinking forward about his own mother and the day that she will be weeping over his own death.
And then he gives the young man back to his mother. Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how Jesus gave this young man back to his mother. Maybe the young man climbed out of the coffin. I imagine Jesus taking the son’s hand and placing it into the mother’s hand. We don’t know. But you can almost see Jesus’ face beaming with delight as the mother realizes that her son is alive. And I wonder if he is thinking about how it will be on that day when he appears, resurrected, to his own mother. I love pondering Jesus’ heart as he performed this miracle.
Okay, Story #2 (I’ve titled this one “An Outpouring of Love”)
Same chapter of Luke, beginning in verse 36.
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 And as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
[Let me just say that I think Jesus is even being rather gentle with Simon here. He could have said, “Simon, you self-righteous idiot.” Instead, he decided to tell him a story.]
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
It strikes me that Simon is upset at Jesus for allowing this woman to touch him. He thinks to himself, “If Jesus knew what kind of woman she is…” OF COURSE Jesus knows what kind of woman she is. He even knew Simon’s thoughts.
And yet he defends her.
He forgives her.
And as she leaves, he blesses her. He says, “Go in peace.”
I love this story because it shows me that Jesus knows who I am. He knows exactly what kind of sinful woman I am. And yet, he accepts me. He defends me.
It makes me think of the passage in Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns?
Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of the Father and is also interceding for us.
Right now Jesus is defending me before God. Not because I am innocent. Oh, he knows I am guilty of many sins. But because his horrible death on the cross has paid for it.
I imagine him there in God’s presence saying, “I know she did that. But I’ve already paid for it. I’ve already taken the punishment for it.” He paid for my sins on the cross, and he has forgiven me. He defends me. He forgives me. And he blesses me.
Okay, let’s look at the last story, in chapter 8 of Luke. (I’d like to call this story “One Last Thread of Hope”)(And this one also has a bonus story—a child that Jesus is very gentle with)
40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[c] but no one could heal her.
[When Mark tells this story, he includes more detail. Mark says, “she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.” So, you can imagine how desperate she was. Let’s keep reading.]
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Before we go on, can we just pause and talk about how embarrassing this was for this poor woman? She is trembling. I believe she would rather go unnoticed, but Jesus calls attention to her. I have to admit, this really bothered me at first, because speaking from my own experience, I understand completely how embarrassed she must have been to suddenly have a whole crowd of strangers staring at her, as she discloses her very personal health issues.
So WHY does Jesus draw attention to her?
In my own opinion, I think he wanted to be able to look her in the eyes and say, “Daughter.” I believe he wanted to have that one-on-one interaction with her before she went on her way. Because Jesus is not just about healing people. Jesus is all about relationships with people. I think he wanted her to know that he cared about her. That he saw her for who she was.
And why does he call her “Daughter?” Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that Jairus has just knelt at his feet and asked him to come heal his daughter? Perhaps Jesus is thinking about this father, Jairus, who is heartbroken over his daughter. Fresh on his mind is that precious love between a father and daughter. And when Jesus sees this woman, trembling, who has touched his garment and has been healed, he sees her as HIS DAUGHTER.
Okay, let’s continue, because we still have Jairus’ daughter who is dying.
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” [I wonder if Jesus winked when he said this.]
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
I love it that Jesus tells them to give her something to eat. It makes me think of times when my own children were sick. Perhaps they were lying on the couch. And when their fever finally broke, when they woke up from a nap, if you’re like me, the first question was, “Can I fix you some toast?” Or, “How about some scrambled eggs?” I wanted to feed them. And Jesus feels the same towards this little girl.
When I read these stories of Jesus being so gentle with people, especially women, it raises two questions for me.
1. Am I gentle with people? As a follower of Jesus, striving to be like him, how am I doing at being gentle with people? I mean, I know that one aspect of the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians is gentleness. You can probably quote the verse with me. Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” And there are many other verses in the New Testament exhorting Christians to be gentle. Here are a few:
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Titus 3:2 “…slander no one, be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”
And we like to think that we are pretty good at being gentle with people. If we asked for examples, I’m sure that in our piety we could tell each other stories about how we were gentle with a stranger at the grocery store, or perhaps with someone who asked us for help.
But if I’m honest, I could also tell you stories about how I snapped at my husband when I was tired. Or how I yelled (from inside the safety of my car) at the person who cut me off. *sigh* Gentleness does not always come easily. But we SHOULD strive for it. And I do believe that filling yourself with these stories of Jesus and spending time in prayer with Jesus is part of the growth process. We cannot expect to become more like Jesus if we do not spend time with him.
I cannot stress this enough: Do your spiritual work-outs! We often set aside time to do physical exercise, but I implore you to set aside time to read your Bible and pray. Memorize passages. Thank him for his blessings. Go to Jesus and confess your sins to him and ask him for his gentle forgiveness.
Which brings me to my second question:
2. How has Jesus been gentle with me?
To be continued in the next blog, “Has Jesus Been Gentle with Me?”
Suzanne Rood is the author of A LIMP OF FAITH (Credo House Publishers, 2019), her story of daily life with CMT, a hereditary neuropathy that challenges her walking, her music, and her faith. Here’s a link to purchase the book on Amazon.