Paintings and depictions of Jesus take all kinds of forms. Almost all of them have focused on creating a physically attractive Jesus. On the contrary, Isaiah 53:2: “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
In contrast, 1 Samuel 9:2 describes Saul, the first king of Israel, in this way: “He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.”
Suppose we were placed in a room with Saul and Jesus and requested to choose a king. We knew nothing about the two men, having to depend only on observing them. Without a doubt we choose the kingly-looking Saul. A deeper dive into Israel’s history shows how well that turned out for the Israelites.
Far, far better to examine a person’s character rather than how he looks physically. So what do we know of Jesus?
We know He performed extraordinary miracles, but that pertains to His supernatural abilities. We know He claimed to be God. The absolute proof came with His death and resurrection—again amplifying His supernatural abilities. His teachings and verbal exchanges accentuated His unworldly wisdom. Other than those examples, what do we have?
Matthew 11:29 offers one of the only and best views into the personality of Jesus: “…for I am gentle and humble in heart…”
Gentle? Humble? Seriously? Are we tempted to ask ourselves how that is possibly king-like? Yet, how good it is to know these attributes are God-like.
The original Greek word used for ‘gentle’ has been translated as meek or mild or submissive. In a way, that may describe Jesus. He certainly submits Himself to servanthood by washing the disciples’ feet in John 13.
But the Greek word ‘praus’ dives deeper than meekness or gentleness. It speaks of having absolute control over your emotions, so much so you’re never daunted by anyone or anything. You’re capable of being in any setting or situation and behaving in the best way possible. It’s the opposite of being obnoxious or loud or annoyingly boisterous. Jesus demonstrated this quality over and over, especially in the darkest moments of His life here.
Instead of ‘humble,’ the early Greek version read as ‘lowly in the heart.’ In using ‘humble,’ the focus lands on the word ‘lowly’ rather than ‘heart.’ General usage of the word depicts negative things like depression, humiliation or terrible morals. None of that fits Jesus.
That’s because the other possible usage denotes someone who voluntarily lowers himself. This is supported by the word ‘heart.’ The Greeks used this word to describe a person’s mental disposition. In application, the concept comes alive when a person knows he’s some sort of alpha, but voluntarily lowers himself in order to help another person.
Jesus describes Himself as ‘gentle and humble in heart.’ But it’s Paul who shows us the full picture in Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.”
We are often exhorted to be Christ-like. Unlike Him, we aren’t able to supernaturally bring people back from death or calm a storm. We certainly can’t attain the depth of wisdom and knowledge He possesses.
But we definitely possess the powerful capabilities to be gentle and humble in heart. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit within us, we can face every situation with calm control. We can voluntarily lower ourselves when we see it best serves someone else. Doing that re-creates the best picture of Jesus for the world to see.