Sometimes I wonder if I get too personal in my thinking about Jesus.
I know in my head he’s God, but as I said last time, I mostly picture him in blue jeans and maybe a flannel shirt.
I think my image comes from Scripture. Jesus didn’t walk around in fancy clothes with a golden crown to signify his position. He didn’t hang out with important people to build his reputation. His “entourage,” the people he entrusted to spread his message, was mostly a ragtag group of misfits.
He taught in the temple and in synagogues, but perhaps his most important messages (The Sermon on the Mount) were delivered on hillsides to groups of marginalized people who couldn’t even feed themselves.
I love to picture him sitting with the kids at the Home of Hope. I think he might help them with their homework or play soccer with them. I think he would assure them, and SHOW them, how much God loves them.
Of course, I know he holds them in his hands right now, but there’s something peaceful and reassuring about imagining how he would interact and play and laugh with them. I hope it’s not too personal.
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I’ve heard people describe what they think it will be like when they finally see Jesus face-to-face. No one knows, of course, what that experience will be like, but it’s an interesting and revealing discussion.
Me? I picture myself standing on a path, my wheelchair discarded in the ditch. In the distance, Jesus stands with his arms wide and a huge grin on his face, waiting for me to run to him.
Whatever happens, I’m certain it will be infinitely better than anything I can imagine. But it’s difficult to communicate how much comfort I derive from my image of that experience.
And I’m sure Jesus smiles at that.
Do you have a similar image of what you imagine it will be like to meet Jesus face-to-face?