Passion
When I use the word passion, what comes to mind for you?
The Collins English dictionary defines the word passion as having strong sexual feelings toward someone, or to have a very strong feeling about something or a strong belief in something. This is the way I have always understood this word and so I’ve been somewhat confused at the phrase, The Passion of Christ.
The etymology of the word has the Latin root pati which means suffering. Our use of the word passion is vastly disconnected from its original meaning and so no wonder we struggle to understand it’s use with reference to the final events of Jesus’ life which are rife with Him bearing pain and enduring suffering.
The gripping picture of Christ’s suffering has been the inspiration for artists for centuries. What is fascinating is that while other religions were celebrating the strength and power of their gods, the church brought tender focus to the vulnerability of Jesus Christ suffering on a cross, a death that was once viewed as the most shameful means of execution reserved for the worst of humanity. In a defiant display of honoring King Jesus’ self sacrifice, the image of His crucifixion has been placed in the most sacred places.
This oil sketch by Bartoleme Esteban Murillo captures the limp body of body as Jesus hangs by nails thrust through his hands and feet. It brings to mind the words He spoke to His disciples during his final meal, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me...This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:19, 20
It feels like we are so far from being able to understand self-sacrifice in a world that is rife with narcissism and which honors the strong and the beautiful even within the church. Yet we have this Man whose fame has endured for over two millennia, modeling to us what love looks like. We see his blood pouring out from his wounds, his body broken and hanging limp and lifeless in this beautiful oil sketch by Murillo.
Gazing slowly across this picture I look at the inspiration of my life, the Man Christ Jesus, and I find myself deeply challenged by what I see. How many times have I been unwilling to embrace the vulnerability that comes simply by being human? How many times have I longed for raw power and ignored the call to humility? How many times have I longed for human glory and scorned the shame that seems to accompany human need and suffering?
And all these musings beg the question, have we placed a suffering love in the most sacred places of our lives. or have we, like those who worshiped the ancient gods, placed a longing for power and strength in the center of our souls?
Passion. Suffering. Enduring. Bearing. Patience. May these attributes lodge deeply in my soul rather than a empty chasing of sexual desire, a burning passion for an object, or an intense pursuit of an ideology. Christ on the cross was, and always will be the ultimate expression of what love looks like.
Comments