Two thousand years ago Jesus was crucified. The Prophet Isaiah, in
this passage of the Hebrew Bible, describes the character of this Man
Jesus who would be sent to this earth by God: (Isaiah 42:3)
3. “A bruised reed He will not break,
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.”
~New American Standard Bible
And in the New Testament we find the following passage in Matthew
26:51-52:
51. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew
out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off
his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for
all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”
~New American Standard Bible
I think you’ll agree that the above description of the Lord’s
character is in stark contrast to the “macho” image that has become so
popular in recent years. It doesn’t seem to matter whether one is a man
or a woman – from the vehicle driven, to the food eaten; from the
“sports” watched, to the music listened to; “toughness” is “in.”
Several years ago, I noticed this macho attitude being introduced
into a popular Christian television program. I wrote them a polite
letter explaining how this appeared to be a trend that was not in
keeping with Christ’s teachings. (I don’t remember whether or not I kept
a copy of my letter.) Well, I did not receive an answer from them. Since
that time, it has gotten worse than I had anticipated: this “fashion of
violence” has spread around the globe.
I’ll end this Blog with 1 John 2:16-17:
16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the
lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the
Father, but is from the world.
17. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one
who does the will of God abides forever.
~New American Standard Bible
