Five Magnetic Traits of Jesus You Can Imitate
Arena Men,
The Chosen
I am fanatical about the wildly popular series, The Chosen. Not only have I watched each episode of the first 16 episodes three times, but I think every man should download the free The Chosen app on their phone and start watching ASAP. You can now also stream it on Amazon Prime. If you are “old school,” you can purchase the DVD series here. Last week we had the honor of interviewing Chad Gunderson, the producer of The Chosen. It was one of my favorite interviews so far. Don’t miss it.
The most engaging thing about The Chosen is the masculine portrayal of Jesus and the magnetic way he interacts with his disciples. It is so refreshing compared to the bland, vanilla Jesus so often portrayed on the Big Screen. Here are the five things every man can imitate about The Chosen’s portrayal of Jesus.
Five Magnetic Traits
I realize that the writers and producers took some liberties with their portrayal of Jesus. Liberties I believe made Jesus come alive even though not directly connected to Scripture. If this is an issue for you, then The Chosen might be challenging to watch. It was freeing for me.
1. The relationship with his mother, Mary.Mary is a major character in The Chosen, she appears more times than in Scripture. Jesus’ care for his mother was moving. We know he had a special connection, as just before his death he made sure his widowed mother was cared for; When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home (John 19:26-27).
Our mothers deserve special honor in our lives. I am fortunate to have an amazing mother. It has always been a priority to honor her.
One day I teased my wife with, “I am looking good today. You better stay close to me because the women will be all over me (figuratively).”
She just smiled and said, “You will be fine if you stay out of Walmart!”
That was the day I knew Shanna had learned to speak the masculine language of love—talking smack. Talking smack is the telltale sign that men are bonding.
There are several scenes in The Chosen where Jesus talks a little smack to his guys. One happens with Andrew after the Miracle at Cana, but you can discover that and the others on your own.
- Treating Women as Sisters.
Besides Mother Mary, there are two prominent female characters in the first two seasons—Mary Magdalene and Raima. Both are beautiful, yet Jesus treats them with the respect, honor, and dignity that a big brother would treat his sisters.
In this high sexualize culture where women are regularly objectified, men must understand that any Christian woman who is not his wife or mother is his sister or daughter, “Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Timothy 5:1b-2).”
- Taking Time for Little Children.
When little children are present the manly man realizes he is standing on holy ground. When children are present all our attention should go towards honoring them and taking a minute to say or doing something that might shape their life. There is nothing more manly than a man giving children special attention. I love the story told of one night after DL Moody returned from a revival meeting and his wife greeted him with, “Did anyone receive Jesus?”
“Yes, two and a half.”
“Oh, two adults and a child?” his wife wondered.
“No,” the evangelist replied, “Two children and an adult who has lived half his life.”
- Compassion for the Broken.
Jesus’ go-to was healing on the Sabbath to the chagrin of the Jewish leaders. He did it to break the religious barrier prohibiting the Kingdom of God and to show that broken people are the most important thing in the world.
How many times do we smirk at the guy holding the cardboard sign, the hitchhiker, or the mentally ill who are sentenced to life on the streets because of their ailment?
I wonder what Jesus would say about our smirks, thoughts, and unwillingness to act with compassion? Matthew 25:34-40 gives us a clue.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Chosen to Carry the Mantle
I remember leading a Bible study one time and asking the men, “What is a spiritual leader?” One guy pointed his finger at me as if I were the answer to my question.
“No! You are!” I affirmed.
Who are the chosen? You are! Men are almost always God’s starting place when He sets out to perform any Kingdom-impacting event. Men are God’s starting place because when a man gets it—everyone wins.
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