Christ’s Humanity

I suppose we all imagine Jesus slightly differently, looking at him, as we do, through the lens of our own unique disposition and temperament, but what can we say about him in a more objective way? Mark’s Gospel helps us with that.

John wrote of Jesus as the Eternal Word of the Father, existing from before the foundation of the world and becoming flesh 2,000 years ago. Luke, being a physician, was impressed more with the healings that Jesus performed. And Matthew wrote for the Jews about how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. But what of the man? What about Christ’s humanity?

It is Saint Mark who teaches us something particularly helpful about what Christ, the man, was like. And while this column in no way exhausts Mark’s point of view, we may at least appreciate that Mark portrays Jesus as acting and moving decisively, humbly, and constantly.

Mark’s favorite word to use to describe Jesus’ actions is “immediately.” He recalls that Jesus was a decisive man. In every circumstance, Jesus saw what needed to be done, and did it. He never let detraction or rejection deter him from facing life head on.

But Mark takes care to record for us that Christ was also very humble. Jesus did nothing for fanfare. After healing the leper, Jesus sternly warned him not to tell anyone. After raising Jairus' daughter, he instructed the disciples not to tell anyone. When Peter declared the divinity of Jesus, Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone. And after being transfigured on Mount Tabor, Jesus tells Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone what they had seen. He was decisive, yes, but always humble.

And Christ was both of these things, decisive and humble, constantly. Mark begins his Gospel by describing Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, so it’s “right to work,” decisively and humbly. But then it’s into the desert, where he prays to the Father for strength and constancy. He knows this won’t be easy, but that with God, in prayer, he can overcome the temptation to give up, and can persevere in his divine vocation. As a sign of Christ’s constancy, Mark then says Jesus came out of the desert and went straight to the synagogue to heal a man - straight back to work.

Just this week, at Daily Mass, we read in Mark that after healing this man in the synagogue, Jesus went next door to Peter’s house, likely to rest. But Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and needed healing. Jesus responded decisively and healed her. And then, when the whole town was at the door and he healed so many that his fame began to spread, he responded with humility by going off on his own to a quiet place to pray to the Father. But, again, when the disciples come to him and say, “Jesus, everyone is looking for you,” he shows the constancy of his love by responding, “Let’s go. It’s for this reason that I came into this world.”

There is much more to know about the person of Jesus - about his humanity and his character. And even this short reflection may feel like too much; we may be tempted to despair of our own capacity to be decisive, humble, and constant. But we wouldn’t be the first to feel that way. Saint Peter gave into that temptation in the courtyard of Caiaphas, saying, “I do not know the man.” But he’s also the one who taught Saint Mark - and through him, us - to be confident in God’s mercy, after we’ve fallen away from Christ, because this Jesus, whom we occasionally deny, is also the one who forgives decisively, humbly, and constantly. +