He understands

Last night I watched The Passion of the Christ with the teens at church. Even though I've seen it several times before, it was still able to touch me in a fresh and personal way. A way that reminded me of Jesus' humanity and what that means for me.

Seeing the character of Jesus in The Passion is unlike so many other portrayals of Jesus because, well, He just seems so...human. There is no aura of light surrounding him. No bright rays from heaven shining down upon him. No throne from which He rules.

Instead He looks just like us. He smiles like we do. He sweats like we do. He bleeds like we do. He even laughs like we do.

He laughs with Mary in a scene from the past. And then He looks at her from beneath the cross with blood and sorrow in His eyes. He shares a meal with His friends. And then He watches them run away in the hour of darkness.

This is a God who knows what joy is. What heartache feels like. How laughter lifts us up. How pain weighs us down.

I realize not only does He understand this because He is an all-knowing God, but He understands because He became man. Because He took on flesh like my flesh, with a heart like my heart. He worked. He cried. He laughed. He knows what it is like to be human.

And that comforts me.