Oh How He Loves Me

i was wondering how jesus felt when he was walking towards the river to get baptized by his cousin. his siblings didn't really get him, his parents wanted him to toe the line and couldn't understand why he didn't...he really didn't have much going for him. 

i can almost feel jesus' excitement walking to that river. mingled with calmness and peace. maybe a hint of humor as he thought of john's anticipated reaction. hundreds of people are gathering around as john baptizes them one by one with his disciples' help. imagine jesus' sandaled-feet nearing the water's edge and john looks up to see him approaching. jesus says, "hey john! my turn." john thinks, "ah! he's going to baptize me now." he begins to bend his knees and stoop low but jesus stops him. "no, i mean YOU baptize me." he smiles at john's shocked expression. there's a hush upon the crowd.

i'd love to have been there to see it with my own eyes. what joy it brings to my heart knowing that it was one of jesus' most significant moments with his heavenly dad, and that whole incident was recorded JUST for me to read. before he had done ANY miracles or given his 1st ever sermon, jesus' identity as beloved Son was permanently and publicly affixed. God's love for him was agape.

jesus while on earth walked in the fullness of grace and love. he was sinless and perfect. he was a man yet also deity, the FULL expression of God's glory! wouldn't that make him the most desirable person you could set your sights on? wouldn't that make him the most beloved of all, the most worthy? and God loved him. but he later took on the ugly cloak of our sin. instead of the Spirit descending on him in bodily form like a dove, in stark contrast he clothed himself with our shame and chose separation from the father for our sake. one who is my fiery love, so desirable and beautiful, became despised and unattractive, scorned on the cross in the most cruel way to die. for God so loved the world...

isaiah 53 says, "...he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him...despised and rejected by men...we esteemed him not."

i wanna stop and ponder.

1) the most beautiful person who ever walked the earth, he's God's beloved son, in whom He is well pleased.

2) the brutalized, hated Jewish man on the cross between 2 criminals, screaming at the top of his collapsing lungs, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"

same man. and he tells me he loves me.

same God. he traded his beauty for me.

has it ever occured to you that JESUS the most beloved and beautiful made himself undesirable and weak so that the MOST undesirable and weak can become the most beloved and beautiful?