Christ
Rembrandt or workshop (1606-1669)
oil on oak, circa 1648-1656
Philadelphia Museum of Art
via Wikimedia Commons

Nothing that happens to us, nothing we do, nothing we feel is a surprise to Jesus. In his humanity, he felt anger at the money changers and sadness at the death of Lazarus. He blamed the fig tree for not producing fruit. He accused God of abandoning him on the cross. He loved us so much he gave his life for us.

Jesus is one of us. He knows us. He knows we are capable of indifference and of compassion. He knows we can be stiff-necked and insist on our own way and he knows we have what it takes to surrender our life and will to God’s care.

Perhaps the only surprise is for us: God trusts us to be fully human and loves us just as we are.

But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. John 2:24-25