Jesus is kind. He has been called a Friend of Sinners, Lover
of Our Souls, and the Prince of Peace. Fully God and fully man, the Savior
showed mankind what kindness can be.
Italian Baroque painter Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665)
captured the kindhearted humanity of Jesus in her work titled Head of Christ.
In my own imagination, this closely fits how I see Jesus. He
is thoughtful, kind, gentle, strong, and ever mindful of His Father. The Bible
tells us (see Isaiah 53) that He likely didn’t bear movie-star glamour or a
polished handsomeness, as He walked upon the earth during His first coming.
And many mistook Him
for someone ordinary, perhaps in part because He showed up as a gentle man, teaching
love and forgiveness, rather than stomping in with a violent coup d’etat.
But the day is approaching, when His glory will be unmistakable.
And His eternal victory, already won, will be revealed.
In fact, it is only because of the Lord’s kindness that such
a day tarries at all. God is displaying His patience and compassion with every
moment He waits, giving humanity the opportunity to recognize His lordship and
turn to Him.
“The
Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He
is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV)
“For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through Him.” (John 3:17, NIV)
I am grateful for every day the Lord gives me in this life.
But I can hardly wait to see Him face to face. How about you?
Head of Christ
by Elisabetta Sirani
c1660
The Scripture memory tips series is ongoing, but the April A to Z Blogging Challenge has started, and Heart of a Ready Writer is participating again this year. Watch for the Bible memory series posts, which may be interspersed with the Pictures of Jesus series during the month of April.
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