conversation, thanks to such books as "Wild at
Heart" by John Eldredge, and "Why Men Hate
Going to Church" by David Murrow.
weakly and effeminate, exemplifying only velvety
qualities. Yet Jesus is the quintessential IDEAL
mana perfect blend of steel and velvetthe only
man who was flawlessly so.
walked everywhere over rugged terrain, and at
times could be physically imposing, is reason
enough for us to take a second look at the
manly-man, Jesus Christ, and adjust our
perspective of Him. He most likely had a sinewy,
muscular build and calloused handsHis profes-
sion demanded it. As a carpenter, Jesus had to
possess a good deal of physical strength and
endurance. His grip was powerful.
was compassionate, kind, good, patient,
sympathetic and gracious. However, what has been
lacking in our picture of Jesus was His manly
strength, gravity of spirit, fierceness and
resoluteness. He was the perfect balance of steel
and velvet. He fulfilled His mission and maintained
His commitment to see it through to completion,
no matter what it cost Him personally.
of our Lord and Savior.
conviction and passion, and He saw it as His duty
to impose His convictions on others in such a way
that they not only accepted them as their own, but
also were willing to lay down their lives to advance
His cause. It takes moral courage to call men,
women and children to that which was and still is
ideal morality and spirituality. Such convictions fly
in the face of a lesser, chest-less breed of men who
accept the moral status quo of their "post-modern"
generation. If ever there was a man who
understood that an authentic man is made for
others, it was Jesus, who gave His life serving and
saving the sick, poor, tormented and
disenfranchised. If ever there was a man who saw
it as His sacred duty to inspire men to reach higher,
it was Jesus.
exhibiting moral courage and fearlessness in the
face of hostility. At times He was a decisive leader
and a physically imposing and intimidating
opponent. He drew a line in the sand and was not
afraid to act when others crossed it, as was
exhibited in his ultimate act of aggression: the
cleansing of the temple. It is awe inspiring when
you think about the fact that among all those
thieves, criminals and irreverent low-born men
who turned the temple of God into a marketplace,
not one raised a hand to resist Jesus in his outrage
and proprietary violent actions. That whip He
made was no prop; He wielded it like a weapon! He
tipped over and broke tables and cages and
promised the same whipping for those He assailed.
It was as if our Lord challenged them: `stay put and
get a whoopin' or duck and run!' In this story we
are also told: "The blind and the lame came to Him
at the temple, and He healed them.
broken tables and money scattered on the floor.
our Lord continued to stand His ground and kept
people from even walking across the temple
court. And no one dared do so. Would you? It was
these steely qualities that led Eldredge to say
that Jesus was more like William Wallace than
Mother Teresa.
Christ had a gentle and compassionate side,
which perfectly balanced His stern and tough
qualities. Women and children were drawn to
Him and received tender words and loving
touches. In fact, people brought their little
children to Jesus just to have Him touch and
bless them.
Prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners flocked to
hear His strict, no nonsense teaching, and He
received and accepted them. Jesus faced
hypocritical religious leaders and court officials,
both Jewish and Roman, with heroic bearing and
grave dignity. He had set His jaw, never blinked,
never flinched in the face of adversity. Just a few
hours before He was subject to numerous sham
trials, while praying in the garden of
Gethsemane, a huge crowd of motley thugs,
temple guards and Roman soldiers "armed with
swords and clubs" came to arrest Jesus, asking
where they could find Him. When Jesus simply
answered, "I am He" it was as if the whole sky
echoed thunder and shot forth lightning. John
tells us the entire mob drew back and fell to the
ground. Oh my word! Unbelievable!
history who by His very presence and reputation
alone, commanded such respectto the point
armed thugs and soldiers. No mere man ever
filled the role of the ideal man with such
precision and sublime perfection. No one ever
struck such a perfect balance between the
qualities of steel and velvetno one besides the
Son of God, Jesus Christ. In Him, both steel and
velvet qualities, "kissed each other."
to the potent masculinity of Jesus. But then
again, that is what makes Him a perfect example
of the ideal man, and one all men can aspire to
be like, even if we can never attain it. Just
reaching high and aiming to be like such a man
will make us better, more manly men, authentic
men, chivalrous men, Christian men of steel and
velvet. It is this man, this Savior, this powerful
Lord, that men in our day are hungry and thirsty
for and want to be challenged by. And He is
calling out to us like a warrior King: "To me, men!
To me!"