Tuesday-Holy Week: Who is this Jesus?

[The following is another posting from my (former) CatholicSphere blog, Tuesday, Holy Week, 2007; in a slightly edited form, as I tried to tone down some of the judgmentalism I sensed was coming through in the original. Next week I'll maybe blog something about where these things came from and why they were directed as they were, and why I spent over 10 years studying, debating and discussing faith, the Bible, and Catholicism.]

Each Lenten season when I was growing up, Jesus of Nazareth would be shown over several nights on network television. My parents would let me stay up past my bedtime to watch the teleplay of his birth, death and resurrection. The mini-series put a face to Jesus, and taught me stories which became familiar.

It also showed me the person of Jesus.

A few years ago, then, came the film The Passion of the Christ, depicting the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, culminating in his resurrection. For me, the film was very moving.

However, there are those who asked the question: “Who is this Jesus?”

They did not know the stories. They did not know the person. They did not know the Son of Man.

And, so they asked the question.

The Scriptures tell us of who Jesus is; of what He taught; of why He did what He did . . . and the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth gives us a glimpse of who the Scriptures testify Jesus is and what He did.

I encourage you to watch the Passion of the Christ before Easter Sunday. Walk with the Lord on His journey to the Cross that “takes away the sins of the world”.

When I watched, I saw violence; but not for violence’s sake.   This was not merely about a man beaten and crucified. It was about a man suffering and dying for a purpose.

He did this, not for his own sake, but for me (and everyone). Because of love.

He brought a message of love, and confirmed it with a gift of love: his very life. He did this, not so we may have a “good life”, but so that we may have an after life.

Why anyone would go through all that he went through for others…why he would go through this for me and you?

How should we respond to someone who cared so much…?

Today’s song: This Man – Jeremy Camp