Thoughts and Writings from the furnace by Kent Weathersby

Bohemian Rhapsody

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead
Mama, life had just begun. . .

For some reason, at least for me, these lyrics from the great Queen rock opera capture the torrential sense of loss that swarms over the passing of a life̶a young life.
The images that are appended to my all too infrequent thoughts of Christ are of Him high and lifted up where His train fills the temple in which a heavenly host of angels sing praises endlessly — seated at the right hand of God from where He intercedes for us with one eye on the sparrow. I have to remind myself that not only was Jesus the Son of God, He was the Son of Man. I do this by turning to the stories told about Him by some of his followers and closest friends:men who walked with Him, handled Him, loved Him, and were moved to write down what they saw in Him.
To borrow from the imagery of Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliette — if the Earth was East, Jesus of Nazareth would be the sun.
Jesus was a man who began drawing people to Himself before he was even born. John, still a fetus, but who would become known as the Baptist, leapt in his mother’s womb at the approach of Mary, who was carrying the unborn Jesus who had been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Though He is the only absolutely perfect person who would ever live and is a reflection of God, He was born in the humblest of circumstances. As author Phillip Yancy speculated, His birth was attended by more animals than people. He would have been about two years old when the Magi arrived at the home of Jesus’ family, having been led there by a guiding star. What an amazing miraculous historical and astronomical event!
The young Jesus was what we would call an exceptionally precious child. The prophet Isaiah tells us he grew up before God as a tender shoot in barren ground– there was no other child like him. He was more than precocious, He was wisdom personified. His parents were mystified when they found him exploring the sacred scripture with the teachers in the temple courts who were amazed at his understanding and answers. He was 12 years old.
Jesus grew into manhood being subject to his parents andgaining favor with God and man. We are told that He was not particularly handsome or desirable in appearance. He lived a quiet life being known simply as the carpenter. Then, the day arrived! The day that John the Baptist had been preparing his followers for: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” As Jesus arose from the waters of baptism, God came out of character and from Heaven said, “This is my Son whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.”
As his ministry of reconciliation with God progressed, He became known for his compassion for the sick and suffering. Throngs would follow Him, not just because He healed them, but because he taught with authority and fed their hunger for wisdom to live; He was imaginative. He could have created a coin in the pocket of his robe, but rather, He told Peter to go to the lake and cast in a line. “From the mouth of the fish you catch, you will find a coin, use it to pay the tax for you and me.”
There was a special place in Jesus’ heart for children. He referred to them as a model for the subjects of His Kingdom. He was sweet like the perfume with which one of his followers would anoint Him before washing His feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. You can sense his sweetness in his words as he raised the daughter of a priest from the dead: “Talitha Koum — wake up little girl.”
He was often sorrowful, but not for himself. He wept at the sight of Mary and Martha grieving for their brother whom Jesus would call from the grave. He grieved over the rejection He was subjected to in Jerusalem. “How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
Jesus was patient with people and readily granted forgiveness for sins. The only people with whom he had little patience were the “whitewashed sepulchers,” who exchanged God’s laws for their traditions and sought to subvert His teaching in order to protect their power and wealth.
Above all, Jesus was loving. His entire life and all his acts, which could not be contained in all the books in existence, were motivated by love. To apply a phrase used by Mr. Rogers: He loved us into loving. His followers would be known by their love for Him and each other.
Ironically, Jesus was very vulnerable. As the Chief Priest and Pharisees hunted Him down like a pack of hyenas, He told Peter, James, and John, who were gathered with Him in an olive garden: “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death, stay here and watch with me.” He needed them. How emotionally crushing it must have been when his good friend led his tormentors to Him. He had put a price on their relationship and sold Him. And sealed it with a kiss.
From prison and trial, He was led to his death. Some of his last words while in his agony were to make sure his mother was provided for.
Then, He was gone. “The sun for sorrow, will not show his head.” But not for long. . . .

“Didn’t our hearts burn within us on the road when He talked with us on the road…”

Kent