When we consider the person of Christ, many different words may come to our minds. Righteous. Sacrifice. Perfect. Sinless. All-powerful. All-knowing. Wise. God. And all of these indeed correctly identify Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who perished for our sins on the cross millennia ago. But, there is a word that we often associate with God that is rarely associated with Christ specifically: majesty (or any derivatives thereof).
Upon realizing this, I was shocked. How could we not consider a person of the Trinity—God Himself—to not be majestic? After all, the definition of majesty is “sovereign power, authority, or dignity” or “royal bearing or aspect.” As the sovereign God of the universe Who will one day rule this earth, why do we not attribute such a word to Jesus? But when you look at Scripture, we begin to see why this is the case.
When human beings think of something majestic, we think of grandiose monuments (the pyramids), breathtaking views (a beach sunset), or powerful beasts (lions and eagles). But Scripture does not portray the first coming of Christ in any sort of majestic way. Let’s take a look at a few Scriptures to see what I mean.
No Fame or Monument to the Name above All
Throughout history, historical figures have been immortalized in awe-inspiring statues and artwork. They have been given a monument to their names. And yet, what do we see for the One Whose name is above all names (Philippians 2:9-11)? There is no statue made of Him for nearly two millennia. Many paintings of Him are relegated to churches or catacombs for hundreds of years, admired secretly amidst persecution. However, there is one time we see during His life where He is given a monument:
35And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Matthew 27:35-37 NASB95)
Only in Christ’s weakest moment, His darkest hour, was He given a mocking monument. The God of the universe hung on a dead tree for the sins of mankind…and He was effectively given a headstone. And yet, we see that He actively avoided fame and glory. He ordered His disciples to tell no one of His true identity (Matthew 16:20; Mark 8:29-30; Luke 9:20-21). He told those He healed in His ministry to tell no one of what happened (i.e. Mark 7:36). There was not only a lack of desire to be elevated in the eyes of man, but a purposefulness in avoiding it as well.
A Plain Appearance & Regular Demeanor
Even though Christ has been portrayed many times throughout history, it was often as a soft-faced, handsome man. It was someone that you looked to and thought of as a leader. He was radiant, shining with a heavenly light as people and angels lowered themselves before Him. But this was not reality! Instead, Isaiah clearly states that he was altogether unassuming in appearance:
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. (Isaiah 53:2 NASB95)
Christ was not a handsome man. In fact, he was not ugly, either. He was, in every way, physically average. He would have looked like a stereotypical Jew from His area. In His calling to walk as we walked and live the life of a man (Hebrews 2:17), He needed to do so in a regular environment. For not only was His appearance plain, but His occupation was that of a plebian craftsman—a carpenter. Christ was not a ladies’ man; He was not the popular boy in school. We can even see the reactions of His countrymen who know Him when He returns to Nazareth:
When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. (Mark 6:2-3 NASB95)
These people could not fathom that Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph—a mere carpenter—was teaching them the Word of God. They found themselves aghast at the fact that this mere mortal with no proper training was taking the stage, so to speak. And yet, this is where we see the difference between Christ and man. Where one would normally be offended by people saying such things, Jesus merely remains silent, already aware of the fact that His people would turn on Him in such a manner.
The Lamb of God, not the Lion of Judah
Many terms and titles have been used to refer to the Son of God throughout Scripture. Two of the most well-known ones, however, are “Lamb of God” and “Lion of Judah.” How can Christ be both a meek little lamb and a conquering lion? That is because, in the first coming, His purpose was to be meek and ultimately sacrifice Himself. Upon His second coming, He will take the kingdom of earth that is rightfully His and rule with an iron rod.
But as we see, Christ’s earthly ministry consisted of continued meekness and gentleness. Despite knowing that His own people would turn against Him (John 1:10-11) and what awaited Him on the cross, He still came as a man. He still ministered to those who were hurting and broken. He still communed with men who would abandon Him at the first sight of danger (Mark 14:43-50). And it was all because of His unending, undying love for us (Ephesians 5:1-2).
And so, He made Himself the perfect example for us. We as Christians are not meant to be proud kings, but humble servants (John 13:5). We are not meant to amass tremendous wealth and power for ourselves, but instead must look to our future riches. Christ may have been the Lamb of God during His first advent. But upon His return, He will embody the conquering, ruling nature of the Lion of Judah (Revelation 19:11-16).
The Majestic Nature of Christ
Christ’s majesty is not one that we typically consider to be “truly majestic.” It was unassuming and quiet. It never encroached into Christ’s ministry. He was majestic merely by being so. All who met Him realized there was something different about Him. In the classic novel Ben-Hur, we see the awe that the titular character has when Christ gives him water to drink. It is not mere gratitude; it is the realization that there is something more to this Man.
The Gospels were not the entirety of Christ’s story. The Old Testament did not spend over 30 books building up to a mere carpenter with flowery words who would perish on a cross. It built up to the sacrificial love of a perfect God Who came in the form of a man. And it continues to build up to the future reign that He will have over all the earth (Philippians 2:9-11).