Jesus was Buff

Yes, Jesus had biceps. This realization for me came through a song written by Toby Mac. (Yes, I am a fan, and this is going back a bit to his Diverse City album.) The song “The Slam” has this line: “And keeps the crowd rowdy like Jesus tossin’ them temple tables.” I know all you grammar people are cringing at the phrasing, but if you look past that, you can discover the masculinity in those lyrics. Jesus didn’t nudge or tip over those temple tables, he outright tossed them. And, those tables weren’t empty. They were loaded with wares, animals for sacrifice, and such. Try flipping one of those.Jesus wasn’t a wimp. We’re used seeing images of a waif-like Jesus draped on the cross, almost feminine in appearance. But, Jesus was a carpenter back in a time when they didn’t have power tools.  Sweat and muscle went side by side with the carpentry trade. Even today, I have yet to meet a carpenter that wasn’t buff, and my husband runs a home improvement company, so I’ve met quite a few carpenters.Forget the images you’ve seen. I’m certain Jesus was cut with a six pack. However, the real attractiveness of Jesus was in the way he looked at people. He truly saw them, their flaws, their faults, their sins, and loved them.  I believe this is the passion readers seek out in romance books. We seek to experience the moment when the hero looks into the heroine’s eyes and confesses his undying love.We can have that. Jesus waits for us to open our hearts so he can reveal himself and pour his love out on us. Jesus displayed this when he sat down next to the woman at the well and offered her water to “never thirst again.” Also, when he stood up for the woman caught in adultery, looked her in the eye, and said, “Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus’s example demonstrates a passionate love that far surpasses any romantic scene between a hero and a heroine. The best part is we get to live out this ardent love because we are Jesus’s bride, and he waits for us.