The image of the Lion (Part 2)

Alright, let me first clear some things about myself.

(1) I am not a chauvinist
(2) I do not advocate violence, or the use thereof
(3) I don't think men are in a higher/better position than women
(4) I personally have nothing against nice guys

Sorry if the previous post gave you the impression that I am some extreme guy who's prone to violence. I'm not. In actual fact, if you know me long enough, you'll realise that I was once a 'Nice Guy' (might still be referred to one for all I know).

Actually, my last post was only part of the image of Jesus. In actual fact, according to the Bible, Jesus was also gentle, kind, loving, compassionate, patient and understanding. He was the only man on earth who was perfectly balanced. Notice that he was sarcastic and rude to the proud religious leaders, but he gave grace to the humble and needy. He overturned the tables in the temple in anger, yet when he saw thousands of people following him, he was moved by compassion and fed them all.

You see, Jesus was both strong and full of grace. He knew when to stand up and fight, and he knew when to back down.

Wait a sec. Come to think of it, I don't think Jesus ever backed down. Not even when he was captured, tortured, and crucified. It took real strength to go through all He did - cause He knew that was the only way for our total forgiveness of sins. Before all of that, Jesus prayed

"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42 NKJV)

He fought all the way. He never gave up.

Remember the scene from the movie The Passion, where Jesus was carrying the cross up the hill? Think about it - he had the strength to carry it AFTER being whipped for our sins. Seeing the whole image?

But why was He strong in the first place? What gave Him that strength to go all the way?

His grace. His love for us. It was because of His grace that He was strong. Yeah, thats right. He did it all for you and for me.

Man... I want to be like Jesus.

The image of the Lion

Wild at Heart was an eye opener for me. Well, for one thing, it made me realise that being a Christian is not about hiding at the back, avoiding confrontations and letting people trample all over you. At the time of reading the book, it was a revelation to me. I came to realise that Jesus wasn't this emasculated, weak, frail, helpless, skinny man who looked severely malnourished (as depicted in most pictures I used to see of Jesus in church). He was the total opposite. He was the lion of Judah.

Wait a sec. This doesn't really add up. The image of a lion doesn't seem to tally with the image of Jesus in the potraits. Not only that, we are called to become LIKE Jesus. The question is, WHICH IMAGE?

The author of 'No More Christian Nice Guy'(pg34) paints an interesting image of Christ...

"Regardless of how hard we try, Jesus will not be domesticated. Consult the gospel facts: He is no comfortable Christ, no meek and mild Messiah.

Let's set the record straight.

Here is our popular Nice Guy misconception: Jesus didn't drink, swear, get angry, use sarcasm, confront, avoid questions, grow impatient, or complain. Conversely, the record shows he did all of the above, and the gospel includes no apology, confession, or repentance for any of them."

Now wasn't that unconventional? I say that's something to think about. Especially when we are called to be like Christ. No, no, no... the Bible didn't tell us to be like Christ in some things. It said be like Christ in everything.

"God wants us to grow up... like Christ in everything." (Ephesians 4:15(MSG))

If you thought that Jesus was just a typical 'nice guy', think again. He was good alright, but he wasn't 'nice' all the time.

What is your image of Jesus?