GETTING TO KNOW " THE MIND OF CHRIST"

WHAT did Jesus look like? What color was his hair? His skin? His eyes? How tall was he? How much did he weigh? Over the centuries, artistic representations of Jesus have varied from the reasonable to the far-fetched. Some have depicted him as manly and vibrant, while others have portrayed him as frail and pallid.

The Bible, however, does not focus attention on Jesus' appearance. (No one knows what he looks like because no one has seen him except as a very bright light much as the sun, to try to look at him is like looking straight into the sun for awhile. No one would live) Rather, Jehovah saw fit to reveal something far more significant: The kind of person Jesus was. The Gospel accounts not only report what Jesus said and did but also reveal the depth of feeling and and the pattern of thinking behind his words and actions. These four inspired accounts referred to as "the mind of Christ." ( 1 Corinthians 2:16) It is important that we become acquainted with the thoughts, feelings and personality of Jesus. Why? For at least two reasons.

First, the mind of Christ gives us a glimpse into the mind of Jehovah God. Jesus was so intimately acquainted with his Father (No,not like that, get your minds out of the gutter people) that he could say: 'Who the Son is no one knows but the Father, and who the Father is, no one knows but the Son, and he to whom the Son is willing to reveal to him." (Luke 10:22) It is as if Jesus was saying, 'if you want to know what Jehovah is like, look to me.' (John 14:9) Thus, when we study what the Gospels reveal about the way Jesus thought and felt, we are, in effect, learning how Jehovah thinks and feels. Such knowledge enables us to draw closer to our God. -James 4:8.

Second, our knowing the mind of Christ helps us to "follow his steps closely." (1 Peter 2:21) Following Jesus is not simply a matter of repeating his words and copying his deeds. Since speech and actions are influenced by thoughts and feelings, following Christ requires that we have the same "mental attitude" that he had. (Philippians 2:5) In other words, if we are to truly act like Christ, we must first learn to think and feel like him, that is, to the best of our ability as imperfect humans. Let us, then with the help of Gospel writers, peer into the mind of Christ. We will. first discuss factors that influenced the way Jesus thought and felt.

Next time: His Prehuman Existence

Watchtower,2000