Jesus and Agonizing Contradictions
In all of the universe, this is what I wonder at the most: Jesus of Nazareth — Jesus himself. For me, he is the simplest and greatest riddle in human history. No one seems to be able to put him in a category. Trailed by lepers and prostitutes and traitors, he is the king of losers. He is subjected to the worst kind of torture and death, watched by his own mother. Yet, somehow he is also the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus: gentle with the children, and zealous with a whip. Jesus shouting at the hypocrisy of Pharisees, and Jesus speaking softly to a woman caught in adultery.
Jesus challenging us to an ethic we can hardly imagine, and Jesus claiming to pay the price completely for us in our sinful defeat. Jesus healing others, and yet Jesus bleeding himself. Jesus lowly in heart, and Jesus confident against the very demons. Jesus, the harsh to the pretentious, and Jesus, the tender to the broken. Jesus, the preacher to thousands, and Jesus, the silent one before the courts. Jesus, the total and complete failure in his own society, and Jesus, the utter and final victor for the hope of millions. Jesus, the amazing wonder worker, and Jesus, the beaten suffering servant. Jesus who enacts the words of eternal life, and Jesus who asks God why he has forsaken him.
Jesus: the God with wounds. These agonizing contradictions seem to match the life I have experienced here on earth. These very contradictions draw me to him, and still touch the tender part of my bleating, wandering heart. I have sought to follow him now for decades, and know that I have hardly even started.