Tag: god

  • Jesus of Nazareth, Beautiful?

    Jesus of Nazareth, Beautiful?

    “… he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”
    – Isaiah 53:2

    Jesus of Nazareth, certainly one of the most – if not the most – influential singular human figure in the history of humanity, ranks also objectively speaking one of the most – if not the most – beautiful of all men. But how so we may ask? We know neither the exact face of Jesus except through a myriad of depictions of him (see below) and the enigmatic shroud of Turin. The Bible too is silent about his looks less for his glorious and fearsome appearance in visions and epiphanies (e.g. Matthew 17:1-13, Revelation 1:9-18). In fact, as we read in the passage above from the Prophet Isaiah about Jesus, he was anything but good looking. So how is he beautiful? And why even bother about his beauty?

    Many faces of Jesus

    Many faces of Jesus
    (Image source: Pinterest)


    On the first inquiry, it must be somewhat obvious that our mentioning of the ‘beautiful’ here extends beyond mere bodily and facial appearance in form and countenance, to encompass the essence of human beauty which is that of body-and-soul: we are embodied souls-ensouled bodies. This salutary regard of human beauty, is to some extent (only that it is perhaps becoming increasingly difficult with the ascendancy and ubiquity of social media – and so, superficiality), considered in our “lookout for character” advice to singles and in the “thoughtful questions” segment of beauty pageants to draw out the wisdom of the ‘beauties’. Thus this valuation of human beauty should not be foreign to us (if not serving as a rightful reminder) and should lead us to uncover and discover Jesus’ beauty.

    But first: what are we praising when we pronounce that someone is beautiful (remember: beyond mere looks1)? Quite invariably his/her virtues, attitude, words, mannerisms, actions. Or in other words, his/her qualities shone through his/her demeanour, actions and speech. But is that adequate to touch us enough to warrant a bestowment of “beautiful” upon him/her? No, I think not for something more is needed, and that is the factoring in of the situation in which the act takes place. To judge and heap “beautiful” on anybody who does charitable acts (e.g. donating money to a beggar in public) without considering the particular circumstances is rather foolish – yes, the charitable act can be perceived as beautiful but all you know he/she could be donating money in public to bolster his/her reputation, and hardly caring for the beggar at all – would we want then to praise him/her? So the situation is paramount along with the outward expressions of virtues in judging a person beautiful.

    In relation to Jesus of Nazareth, his virtues were evidently present, documented and well-accepted. He was wise, temperate, passionate about advancing right, brave, devout, and loving. He worked (as a carpenter), taught, fasted, healed, fed, embraced the weak, washed feet, rebuked, acted on injustice, prayed, endured hardships, suffered, and died. Prostitutes, criminals, the rich, the powerful, the poor, the sick, outcasts, and children were drawn to him. But without taking into account of his situation, all his deeds, attitude, and words would not have the impact that it did. Because behind his service, he was poor, misunderstood, grieving, despised, and God.

    “He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him of no account.”
    – Isaiah 53:3

    And

    “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
    – 2 Corinthians 8:9

    And

    “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
    – 1 John 4:10

    I must admit that the phrase, “not that we loved God” by St John strikes a deep chord in relation to the contrasting love of God towards me-us. How often do we see an individual love an enemy who does them harm? Rarely, if ever. And if we do, to what extent does the individual love the hater? Offering forgiveness? Perhaps; avoiding slandering him/her? Difficult; helping him/her with a task? On good days; but sacrificing your life for your enemy to save his/hers? Preposterous.

    And this very absurdity is precisely what God had done towards me-those who hate him through the willing hands and feet of the Nazarene, Jesus. From the most mundane acts of kindness to the extremity of sacrificing oneself for the good of another, this was what Jesus of Nazareth, had chose to do for haters, forgoing for a time his “riches” (i.e. his prestige, privileges and comforts) as the Son of God as St Paul states, to living a life of simplicity, poverty and service that he may reach all – yes, even the poorest. This had befuddled many a curious mind throughout the ages and still for some others, Jesus has touched their hearts through his goodness (virtues) and truth (situation) displayed in forms as beauty (actions, manner, and words).

    As to why bother about the beauty of Jesus of Nazareth? I simply have this to answer: We love whom/what we find beautiful.

    *Featured Image Source: Wikipedia

    1. For that we have adjectives like “pretty”, “handsome”, “good looking” to employ. ↩︎
  • TsumaSho (妻小): A Warm Imagining of Coping with Loss

    TsumaSho (妻小): A Warm Imagining of Coping with Loss

    A widower (Keisuke) and his daughter (Mai) encounter a girl (Marika) claiming to be the reincarnation of the man’s late wife (Takae), eventually accepting her into their lives as they grapple with their grief.

    (Source: IMDb with my add-ins in parenthesis)

    There is a lot to like about this 2022 drama which is based off a manga series, “Tsuma, Shougakusei ni naru.” (妻、小学生になる。) by Murata Yayuu (村田椰融). From the interesting plot (which admittedly triggered a tad bit of discomfort, awkwardness, and anxiety initially, wondering how exactly the interaction between Keisuke and Takae-Marika will unfold without bordering on paedophilia – which thankfully was not the case due in no small part to:), fabulous acting [the expressive eyes of Maida Nono (Takae-Marika) and Shinichi Tsutsumi (Keisuke) especially is of much help here), beautiful backdrops, fitting soundtracks – not to mention, the hauntingly poignant nostalgic theme song, 灯火 (“Tomoshibi” – listen to a sample below) – wholesome content, and satisfying ending, this drama left me feeling warm, touched and thinking…

    “TsumaSho” addresses a very real experience common to all (or rather to those who dare to love) and that is, loss, along with its bitter corollary, grief. “To love at all”, C.S.Lewis writes in The Four Loves, “is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.” And broken it was for Keisuke and Mai (and also Yuri, Takae’s brother) at the loss of Takae, their beloved wife-mother(-sister), through a sudden tragic car accident. I have not personally (as of yet) encountered catastrophic losses but I have known (and read about) others who have loss their precious children and parents. Like Keisuke and Mai, a loss seems to be as much the death of the dearly departed as well as of the living left-behind – a part of us dies, it seems, and if we are not careful, that death can indeed consume our whole being leaving us, as Keisuke and Mai was for a decade, as zombies – body alive, dead in the inside, dead to others (even towards Mai, his daughter).

    Is that the best way to live after experiencing loss? We (outsiders) see that it is not, and the creator of the story seems also to share that point of view. And thus miraculously, in the unfolding of time, Takae is “reborn” into the form of an elementary school student who, after overcoming initial resistance, injects a gargantuan dose of hope and vitality into the lives of Keisuke and Mai, which is – to be said – totally expected, for the family is reunited again (albeit in a strange configuration)!

    But then begs the question: Is the panacea to grief-and-loss only found in the resurrection and reunion with loved ones? To which I answer: Yes, if only the reunion is permanent – and we know of no such reality here on Earth – even those, historically who were resurrected (e.g. Lazarus of Bethany) will eventually die again (Christ not withstanding). And (spoiler alert:) so it is with Takae-Marika in the story, which lends itself to further probing: Is the second and third loss of Takae-Marika any less painful than the initial loss of Takae? It seems not for Mai and Keisuke, and perhaps the pain is intensified after having tasted the goodness of reunion again. So what is the remedy then? What made Keisuke and Mai live differently after the subsequent losses? As you might conjecture, not resurrection per se, but hope – and also love: in living.

    Hope in seeing a loved one again is the universal cry and desire of all who have lost. But it is not enough, and also funnily enough, hope needs to be kindled by love to make hope “alive”. I could imagine one without hope-and-love echoing the words of Keisuke, “I’ll just keep living the same uneventful days. And then I’ll die. I don’t need anything. No hobbies, no purpose, no dreams. No new life… My life since Takae (or _____) left is just an afterthought.” – or why not commit suicide to hasten the process of seeing a loved one, or identifying with him/her through complete death (as in Romeo and Juliet)? One could argue that such renouncement of life is an expression of love too – in honour and remembrance of the dearly departed. But is that wholly love? Is that hope – or rather resignation? Is that what the (your) dearly departed other wants (as with Takae-Marika’s many attempts for Keisuke, Mai and Yuri to live)? Is that what those alive and close to you need? Is that what life is – with death having the final say? God forbid, no.

    “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” – St Paul

    And so till then,
    We humbly beseech,
    That we grief – but not without hope,
    That we hope – but not without love,
    That we love – not for mere remembrance,
    But instead we live – we live,
    For love knows no end —

    Scene from Japanese drama, suma, Shougakusei ni naru. (妻、小学生になる。) by Murata Yayuu (村田椰融).
    Scene from Episode 10 (photo capture)

    Feature Image Source: MyDramaList