Thursday, February 27, 2014

On Romance: Like Valentine's Day But Every Day


For the past year or so, I have been stuck on this description of Jesus:

“He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not….” Isaiah 53:2-3

I have meditated on this passage, sought comfort in this passage, chewed on it, spat it out, found myself in it, and found Jesus in it.  Learning about what Jesus did and exactly the kind of rejection He suffered has been pivotal for me.  His life was so paradoxical, flipping my notion of religion on its head.  

Jesus, through Whom the earth was made, came to earth and made himself nothing. Paul says that he literally emptied himself (Philippians 1:7).  He died rejected, despised, and a mockery.

In Tim Keller’s sermon “The Crucifixion,” he describes how, more than anything else, heartbreak is the absolute worst suffering human beings endure.  Losing love and experiencing rejection is more painful than any other part of the human experience.  So, not only did Jesus’ friends and family desert Him on the Cross, but the One that Jesus loved so powerfully, passionately, and eternally rejected Him. 

Rejected Him.

As in: Wouldn’t look at Him, wouldn’t touch Him, wouldn’t speak to Him, did a 180 degree turn and left Him there to be mocked and ridiculed. 

Can you imagine that kind of pain and loss? I’m struck by Christ’s obedience and suffering – but mostly I’m astounded by the romance of it all:

The romance of being pursued so dramatically by a Lover who will stop at nothing to make me His bride.

Because the Father couldn’t bear to live without me, he put His Son through hell, through horrendous heartbreak, so I could be His.

Me. You. Us.

God promises, despite our stubborn hearts and apparent lack of interest, to keep chasing after us, to never give up on us, to always desire us, to know us intimately and fully, and to let us know Him:

            “I will allure [you], and bring [you] into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to [you]…. And there [you will] answer me as in the days of [your] youth … And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:14-15, 19-20

Like a husband at the altar next to a bride he can't take his eyes off, God vows to spend the rest of our lives alluring us in the way that only a skilled and ardent Lover can. A Hallmark card and box of Russell Stover chocolates on Valentine's Day kind of pales in comparison. He offers us more than that every single day of our lives - in the kiss of a gentle breeze, the warm embrace of a friend, the masterpiece of the mountain air, or the symphony of a child's laughter.

The implications of this kind of romance are vast and varied.  They can change the way you dress, the way you pray, the way you spend your time, and the things you get worked up about.  

But mostly, for me at least, the knowledge of this mysterious and timeless romance relaxes my insecure and anxious heart.

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