In my English class at NFCC, I have to write a profile essay about someone who has had an impact on me. Sadly, few people have, and the obvious ones (parents, pastor) would be too predictable as choices. So, I picked the One Person who has influenced me more than any other. So, here is my third (and possibly final) draft of my profile essay, Me Dominus et Deus.
He turns everything backwards and upside-down. If there is one thing He does more than anything else, it is reversing the ordinary. Who is this Character? He is none other than Jesus Christ, my Lord and God (me Dominus et Deus in Latin). While many engage in raging disputes over His very historical reality, I know Him because, as a wonderful song says, "He's done great things for me" (Hillsong United)—and not just me, but for countless others. He is the Creator of us all, yet changes life completely when He confronts us. This Man, if it be lawful to call Him a man, demonstrated in word, deed, and character (most notably in the Sermon on the Mount, many healings, and crucifixion respectively) His unique and counterintuitive approach to life with powerful results.
Jesus began His signature reversal pattern early in His days. (Before I continue, note that the primary source for the life of Jesus Christ is the Bible. Other historical documents mention Him, but none other than the Gospels give much detail regarding His life. However, the Gospel narratives give abundant information for constructing a profile.) According to Luke chapter two, Jesus was born in manger and seen by only His parents and a few shepherds. Such a lowly entrance into our world certainly seems opposite for a king, especially the King of Kings! In His childhood, He shook up the Temple in Jerusalem by asking the Rabbis tough, contemplative questions and actually answering them (Luke 2:46). Clarke's Commentary on the Bible says that He was asking questions "Not as a scholar asks his teacher, to be informed; but as a teacher, who proposes questions to his scholars in order to take an occasion to instruct them." (Clarke) He was essentially teaching the teachers!
When He began His public ministry, Jesus did something entirely unexpected. He was sinless (Heb. 4:15), but He went to be baptized (Matt. 3:13-17), which was supposed to be a symbol of repentance from sin (Luke 3:3). This shocked John the Baptist, who was acutely aware of who Jesus was and what baptism was. Through the rest of His ministry, He continued to surprise people by wholly overthrowing their mistaken preconceptions. However, it may be best to let Him demonstrate. He made many extraordinary statements, such as the following:
"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."
"You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" (Holy Bible: New Living Translation, Matthew 5:21-22, 27, 43-44)
Truly, Jesus was magnificent in the counterintuitive truths which He so boldly declared. The many wonders He did constantly also show Him for the unique Person He is. He reversed the omnipresent effects of sin in the lives of many. Throughout His ministry, He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, let the deaf hear, and, most importantly, introduced many to salvation through Him.
Of course, it is worthless to speak of the many works He did without revealing His character in those works. Jesus was the most loving man ever to grace the earth with His presence. He saw a multitude of people hungry for spiritual sustenance, and the Bible says that "he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." (Mark 6:34). Lazarus, a beloved friend, died, and while Jesus knew He would raise him from the dead, He was grieved so much at the pain of Lazarus' family and friends that "Jesus [openly] wept." (John 11:35). At another time, He saw a random man He had never met before, but He dealt with him very kindly:
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean," he said.
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. (Mark 1:40-42)
Jesus' final great act of love on this earth was dying for our sins, giving His life to save us (Rom.5:8). We, who pained Him by rebellion and rejection, were given the opportunity for salvation because of His love. Some of His last words were for our good. He said, while dying, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34). For those who were actively crucifying Him, and for us, who placed Him on that cross by our sins, He prayed with one of His last remaining breaths. Verily, this Man was love incarnate, turning worlds upside-down by loving those who neither deserve it nor understand it.
I know Jesus beyond a Bible story, though. He may have done His best work then, but He continues to astound me in my own life. Before I was even born, Jesus arranged by His grace for me to grow up in just the right Christian household. When I was only six years old, He introduced Himself to me and I received Him into my life (mainly because of His great reputation among those I trusted, such as my family and fellow church members). Since then, He has worked wonders in my life. He has comforted me when I have been in pain; He kept me sheltered from much of the evil in the world long enough to secure my moral convictions so that I could have a better relationship with Him. Only a year ago, He lifted me out of a tough depression. In countless circumstances, He has forgiven me for hurting Him and protected me from those random situations one can find any day which miss killing him by only a second. His love binds my family together. While life can be crazy, and I can be an idiot, Jesus Christ has been there for me over sixteen years. Therefore, some may debate if He is real, and others may debate who He is, while still others may openly reject Him, but I find myself incapable of doing anything but clinging to the One who I know is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
It is apparent that Jesus is the polar opposite of the regular and ordinary. He does the extraordinary and reverses the ordinary; He embodies love and exhibits grace; and He constantly upholds not me only, but thousands of others. From His extraordinary orations, to His miraculous works, to His loving sacrifice, He was and is perfect in all aspects of life. Ultimately, He is my Savior, but not that alone. He is the Dominus et Deus.
Works Cited
Clarke, Adam. "Luke 2 Clarke's Commentary on the Bible." n.d. 22 September 2011 <http://clarke.biblecommenter.com/luke/2.htm>.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2007.
Webster, Miriam, perf. "Exceeding Joy." Rec. 2003. Hope. Hillsong United. Miriam Webster, 2003. CD.