Are We Humanizing Jesus Too Much?

Jesus smiling in a field — Image from Canva Pro

When I was a child, there was an old movie about Jesus we often watched during Holy Week. It was that movie of Jesus where you cannot see Jesus’ face. Thus, the most that the audience could see was Jesus’ back. Every scene successfully hid His face.

I came to the conclusion that those who made the movie did not want to presume what Jesus looked like. Perhaps they thought that Jesus’ face was too sacred to be portrayed by anyone. And I understood that.

Through the years, however, I watched more and more movies that showed the faces of those actors portraying Jesus. Each had a different version of Him. Some portrayed Him as serious while others portrayed Him as more down-to-earth and friendly.

Some of these portrayals appealed to me and they helped me draw closer to Jesus. They helped me form this image of Him that I could remember every time I prayed.

A New Trend in Portraying Jesus

In recent years, however, I saw a kind of trend that seemed to be becoming more prevalent when it comes to portraying Jesus. It is a trend that seems to humanize Him more and more.

As such, we can see less of the serious kind of Jesus. Instead of seeing Him with awe as Someone divine and mysterious, we see Him as a human being who talks and moves just like us in every way.

Sure, He still performed miracles. He still multiplied bread for the hungry. He turned water into wine. And He healed many people who were sick.

But we no longer portray Him as the Master whom the apostles themselves sometimes found terrifying.

“A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’ They were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?’” – Mark 4:37-41 (NABRE)

An Appeal Toward Mercy and Love

One reason that came to my mind is our desire to show God’s mercy more.

Perhaps our time is filled with a wrong impression about God because many believe Him to be a punishing and vengeful God. Our world today is afraid of the fire and brimstone type of spirituality. And portraying Jesus as more Divine would not appeal to anyone’s heart.

We live at a time when God’s commandments are seen as strict and tiresome. And we see ourselves to be unable to follow each one.

And so we quickly denounce any talk about hell and punishment. We want to hear only about kindness and tolerance to all.

The Danger of Humanizing God

While it isn’t wrong to humanize Jesus (since He is fully human as well as fully Divine), there is a danger when we try to humanize Him too much.

When we show only the human side of Jesus, we can also forget that He is God. Forgetting that He is God, we can fall into various errors and temptations.

One temptation is to no longer see Jesus as God at all. People can consider Him only as a prophet, or worse, only a man who lived an exemplary moral life.

We limit Him to being a role model for us, Someone who inspires us to be gentle, accommodating and accepting of everyone. He therefore becomes a kind of mentor or life coach on how to live a better life instead of Someone who came down from heaven to die for us and give us life eternal.

The humanization of Jesus can eventually erase even His signs and miracles. Soon, scientific or psychological explanations can be made to replace the “Divine cause” and Jesus would simply be a powerless man with a lot of good intentions for humanity.

The True Jesus

To believe in Jesus, we must first understand who He truly is. He is not a mere teacher or mentor. Neither is he a political leader who rebelled against the Romans to free the Jews.

“When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter said in reply, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” – Matthew 16:13-16 (NABRE)

Jesus is both fully human and fully Divine. He is God Himself, the only begotten Son who came down from heaven and became man for our salvation.

We can only fully appreciate His kindness and mercy if we can first understand His glory and His majesty.

How could we ever see His humility if we don’t see first His stature as King? The King who stripped Himself of His riches so He can dwell with us in our poverty?

No portrayal of Jesus in the movies could ever portray Him perfectly, but we must pray for wisdom and find the right balance between showing His humanity as well as His Divinity.

Who Is Jesus Christ?

Jesus is the truth, the way and the life. To Him was given all authority in heaven and on earth and to Him, every knee shall bow.

At the same time, He is the meek Lamb who suffered and died for our sake. He came to us as a little child and made Himself vulnerable so we can draw near to Him in faith.

We don’t have to understand everything about Him all at once and put Him inside a little box by humanizing Him to our heart’s content.

Let us be content in His mystery and let us trust in His revelation. Pray always and He will give us the grace to follow Him as we gradually learn who He is in God’s beautiful time.