I have distinct memories of the church I went to as a child. The bright murals on the walls. My teacher who always gave us strawberry flavored gum. And the picture of a white man with long, brown hair and blue eyes. Of course, almost 20 years later, I know that is not at all what Jesus would have looked like. But learning that his appearance was different than I had always been taught made me wonder if the other things I had been taught about Jesus were true. This is a small portion of my journey to find out who Jesus really was and who He is to me.

 

I grew up learning that God was good. He loves me and everyone else. But when I really started reading the Bible I saw God as good, yes, but I also saw Him as big and scary. He made a list of rules that everyone had to follow, and not following them had significant consequences. That sounded a lot more like a parent to me than I thought God was. And Jesus was God’s Son - fully God and fully human - who came to live on earth. He never did anything wrong and was friends with everyone. That is a pretty high standard, and I almost thought that Jesus was out of my reach. I knew I was supposed to be like Him, but how was I ever going to do that?

 

It really wasn’t until high school that someone encouraged me to read the Bible for myself. And it wasn’t until then that I had to work through who Jesus really was and how that compared to what I had been taught. I had always just assumed that what my teachers had told me was true and hadn’t doubted them for a second. But when I started reading the Bible I saw that there was a lot more to Jesus than perfection and friendship.

 

Jesus was a man who taught those around Him. He was telling His friends and the groups that followed Him wherever He went about the Father and the Kingdom. In church terms, He was always “witnessing.” Jesus also took time for people. He listened to what others had to say and helped those that didn’t understand. Jesus was also not afraid to speak His mind. He knew where His confidence lay, and was bold in telling others what He thought, especially those who thought they were better than everyone else.

 

Most of all, what I learned was that Jesus was a passionate man. An emotional man. He cared deeply for those around Him, and it showed in His words and His actions. He washed the dirty feet of the disciples, even of the one who was to betray Him. He never strayed from His beliefs and convictions.

 

I am a passionate person. And seeing that same passion to an even greater extent in Jesus affirms that my passion is exactly what God wanted for me. I can be like Christ without neglecting the person that God made me to be. And that is a refreshing feeling.

 

Each of us must take what we have been taught about God, Jesus, and our faith and compare it to the Bible. After all, we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart.