Jesus Had Facial Hair, Not Fancy Hair

I'm excited that in a few days John Piper's new book, What Jesus Demands from the World, will be released. I like Mark Driscoll's endorsement of the book:

"This is a peculiar book. It assumes that the four Gospels are true and unified. It assumes that Jesus not only does things for us but also makes demands of us. And it assumes that Jesus has authority over everyone regardless of their religion, gender, race, income, sexuality, nationality, or culture. You will likely not agree with every point. But you will hear from a Jesus who is more than a soft-spoken, effeminate, marginalized, Galilean hippie-peasant in a dress and has the peculiar notion that He alone is Lord."

During my seminary years I too grew frustrated over how some of my professors and classmates depicted Jesus of Nazareth--making him out to be effeminate rather than masculine, sweet rather than sovereign.

Recently, for our study of the parable of the Diligent Woman in Luke 15, I wrote the following intentionally overstated (though serious) set of paragraphs for our twenties@cpc study guide in order to address this false, effeminate, mealy mouth image of Jesus. Here's a cut & paste of what I wrote in that study guide:

Now, before we discuss how the diligent woman is symbolic of Jesus’ tireless search for lost sinners, let’s get a few things straight: though Jesus most certainly loved women, though the Gospels teach that Jesus treated women with an unrivaled level of respect, dignity, and equality--Jesus was (and still is) a man, not a woman. Some have said this parable exposes Jesus' suppressed feminine side. Well, yes we serve a triune God whose nature is beyond mere maleness and femaleness. Yes, both the male and female sex equally display God's image. But, the God-man Jesus of Nazareth had (and has) a human nature that is male and masculine.

One of the reasons why most American churches are full of women, but missing men, is because most men have a faulty, effeminate view of Jesus. It seems that many men envision Jesus to have been more like Boy George or Richard Simmons than like Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr.--men who were prepared to lay down their lives for others. Ladies, especially single ladies, if you'd like to see more men coming to our church, it’s only going to happen as men gain a correct image of Jesus.

Jesus was not effeminate. He was masculine. Jesus grew up working as a carpenter with his dad. He used his hands. He worked hard, carried wood and stone, nailed things, built things, sweat without the aid of deodorant, got calluses on his hands, and probably shaved with a knife.

Though all of our paintings and pictures tell us otherwise, Jesus probably didn’t have long flowing wavy hair. He didn’t wake up each morning and style his locks with a purple hair dryer and pink curling iron after having nourished his silky mane in the latest double-herbal-mint-aroma Pantene Pro-V conditioner product line. Nor did Jesus sleep on a therapeutic pillow-top mattress with a paisley-patterned fitted sheet, eight heart-shaped pillows, and a white lace duvet cover. No, the Bible tells us that Jesus didn’t even have a stone to lay his head on (Matt. 8:20).

See, Jesus was a dude who often slept outside. He definitely knew how to build a campfire when he turned in for the evening. Jesus regularly got manly workouts as he hiked miles and miles between villages and cities. Jesus was no mild-mannered, "look-at-me-I’m-a-really-nice-person," "check-out-my-baby-blue-W.W.J.D.-bracelet" school boy. When the going got rough, Jesus knew how to get rough. When people were doing what they shouldn’t have been doing in the temple, Jesus grabbed a whip, threw tables around, and began to yell (John 2:13-17). Jesus was more like Indiana Jones than Mr. Rogers.

Mr. Rogers never sweat blood.

Mr. Rogers never laid down his life for other men and women.

Ladies, if you want to see a guy become more godly and manly, don’t give him a magenta colored book mark with a picture of an effeminate Jesus having his hair braided while he sips a nonfat, sugar-free mocha and stares at the clouds. Return that bookmark that you bought from a Christian bookstore that doesn’t sell books, but instead sells sparkly pastel Bible highlighter pens and posters of Jesus hugging lambs, picking freshly blossomed flowers, and having cute little picnics with other guys who wear sea-shell strapped sandals and play with their hair. Ladies, ditch the bookmark and instead give the dude a Bible and have him read Revelation 1:12-18 & 19:11-17, where we read that Jesus has eyes of blazing fire, a shirt that’s been dipped in blood, a big tattoo running down the side of his leg, the set of keys that opens up the door to Hades, and a huge sword coming out of his mouth. Guys will want to follow a Jesus like that.

Did Jesus treat women with a revolutionary level of respect and dignity? Yes. Did Jesus, through his sacrificial life and death, hold up THE model for how men are to love  and treat women? Yes. In telling this parable about the diligent woman, was Jesus exposing his suppressed feminine side? No.

Okay, so all of that was probably entirely unnecessary, but I had fun writing it. Back to the parable. The point Jesus is driving at in this parable is that his persistent seeking of sinners is akin to a village woman’s diligent search for a precious lost coin. Jesus’ audience would have surely been familiar with such a scenario. Jesus is saying: “If a lost coin is that valuable, worth that intense of a search by a housewife, how much more important is the Son of God’s search for lost people!”...

Comments

[joanyb]

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!!", secondly, I truly enjoyed and was challenged by the podcast of your 2nd sermon, and thirdly, you make such a valid point about Jesus' strength and masculinity needing to be noted and emphasized. I was just reading about that issue last night while preparing for seeing some couples in a terrific book, "Every Woman's Marriage" by Greg & Shannon Ethridge. They talk about this issue too and how it can extend to how we view men in general, who are 'made in God's image' in our culture. I like how you express that important point!

[RevyRev]

Great post on how Jesus is a manly dude.

I know of only one Christian bookstore that has manly guys that go to it. It doesn't have many trinkets but it has a lot of theology books, books by dead guys, and used books.

Dude, i go there and shoot the breeze with dudley reformed guys. Like, a construction worker buying a new Septuegent, and another old crusty guy talking about propitiation and the doctrine of the Atonement. Dude, theology is manly, Jesus is manly.

I can often tell if a seminarian is a reformed guy or a emerging. Usually it is how manly there Jesus is and how clear their doctrine is.

Real dudes don't talk about Lectivo Divina. They talk about sacrifice, Heaven, Hell as "Jesus' Demands of the World".

B.T.W. happy belated birthday from one blogger to another.

[Ann]

While I certainly agree that Jesus was not effeminate, what I find annoying is the way women are depicted in Christianity and in this article, as if women are shallow. Too often Christian men assume that women either can't understand, shouldn't understand, or have no interest in theology and deep biblical topics. I am a theologically educated (Reformed in doctrine)Christian woman who loves theology and discussing theology and the Bible, is not shallow or interested in silly bookmarks and pens, and at the same time, believes in the biblical roles of men and women, which John Piper explains so well in his book "What's the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible." Piper understands that biblical women should understand the Word, and not be weak and shallow.

[Justin Buzzard]

Ann, thanks for your comment. I'm sorry if what I wrote made it sound as though I believe women are shallow. I don't believe that, but I'm sorry for conveying that. My intentionally overstated and humorous post was meant more to communicate that many men are shallow because they've, one way or another, adopted a shallow and false view of who Jesus is. I 100% agree that women ought to have a deep interest in, and huge contribution to make to, theology. As far as the book marks and pens, I didn't mean to convey that this is the normal practice of women towards men. I'm sad for conveying that to you. I simply meant to address, here in my context, that I've seen a little bit of that and I was offering up one means of correcting that with the Revelation text.

I wonder also if the comment made by Revy Rev made it sound as if I too think theology is "manly," but not also equally to be engaged in by women. I hope you saw that my post was distinct from this person's comment.

Thanks Ann.
-Justin

[Ann]

Justin, thank you for clarifying that. I truly appreciate it. I certainly agree that it is important that we have a biblical understanding of how Christ is, not a sissified understanding. Theology is not, and should not be, "manly" or "womanly"--it should be biblical, and something that all Christians understand and are passionate about.

[Elisa Halliday]

I buy sparkly pastel Bible highlighter pens and would get posters of Jesus hugging lambs. I'd buy them for myself though. If I could, I'd love to get a painting of Jesus hugging lambs in the field where there are many sheep.

When I went to Wales for the first time, I saw tons of lamb and sheep in an open green field for the first time too. If I had seen them before I was born again, I would have just thought "how cute!" But when I saw them, my heart leaped and tears rolled down my eyes. And I pictured Jesus tending those lamb and sheep. He is tending us. We are His sheep and He is our shephard. And picturing that in my mind was so comforting and I can always picture Jesus holding me, the sheep who is likely to get lost again and again. Needless to say, I also found out that lamb is a baby sheep! And we eat them! So cruel!

Anyway, I think women tend to want to see more of the tender and loving side of Jesus though He indeed is strong, powerful and bold. But when it comes to treating us women, we want our men to be romantic, kind, tender, soft etc. Don't get me wrong. We want to see our men to be more like the masculine Jesus when it comes to other things, just not us. =)

Ah, by the way, happy belated birthday! Did you get your birthday gift (John Piper's new book) that you requested? =)

[Dan Palmer]

Brother,

Thanks for the blog. You can't say anything in today's culture without someone miscontruing it or complaining about it. As a man who has struggled with what the church is telling me to be like, I appreciate your post. Compassion and mercy and love are easy to depict as effeminate but it is masculine to exhibit those traits out of sacrifice and at great cost to yourself. Jesus is amazing and it is his strength, power and authority that highlight the wonderful depths of his love. Thanks and if being manly is cool, you're Miles Davis!!!

[ben]

I appreciate your post because I find that we lack a lot of younger, "manly men" in our church. There are some, a few carpenters, but the guys who come in with their biker jackets or non-metrosexed shirts often look out of place.

I'm just puzzling this through myself, but is a manly man one who looks rough, acts tough or is tough?

[joanyb]

good question. just my opinion (and a female one at that)but when I think if David.....a man after God's own heart....it doesn't get any manlier (is that a word?) than David. He was an unbelievable warrior with obvious battle skills far exceeding any "American Gladiator" right along with having a tender expressive heart, which shows in all it's glory via the Psalms. His heart was deeply touched by the things that touch God's heart. Awesome manly combo!

[Mike Ellis, Church for Men Florida]

Love this post. Check out what we are doing to reach men in Daytona Beach, FL

[Nathan Logan]

Note to self: work on "unbelievable warrior" traits and "battle skills". ;)

I don't think manliness has much at all to do with how adept you are at arm wrestling, lifting heavy objects, gritting your teeth, or finding another man's liver with the point of your sword (can a paraplegic male be manly?).

Masculinity has to do with intense love of, and submission to, Jesus. Generally, this includes things that apply to all Christians, like humility, love, prayer, faithfulness, etc., all resulting from God's gracious work. Specifically, this also includes fulfilling the role God laid out for men. This includes things like leadership, servanthood, family course-setting, family provision/protection, and love (a requirement leveled at husbands specifically, probably for their need of additional reminder).

David was indeed a manly man, but it was because he was a man after God's own heart, not because he was good with nun chucks.

[sheri]

I enjoyed this blog post :) Everytime I go to christian bookstore at mall near me there is always lot's picture's of jesus hugging sheep......lot's lot's lot's of picture's of jesus hugging sheep!