The song Above All by Michael W. Smith (2000) describes Jesus, at his death, as ‘like a rose trampled on the ground’.
This image speaks to me of someone who …
… is cut off from a life source
… has evident but fading beauty
… is only noticeable if I look carefully
… is discarded
… displays only a hint of their past colour and vibrance
… is becoming one with the earth and dirt
… celebrated, but for whom the party is now over
… is without prestige
Jesus was not compared to a rose in the Bible. At that time and in that climate, roses were not known. The Rose of Sharon that is mentioned in the Bible was probably a crocus.
Instead, Jesus was likened to a seed. He foretold his own death.
In John 12:23-24 we read ‘Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’
This image speaks to me of someone who …
… may appear small and insignificant, but for whom there is big promise and potential
… is mysterious, from their outward appearance it is impossible to tell what will appear and grow
… has no colour, but all will be revealed if I wait
… has everything ahead of them
… promises new life
This is the Jesus I want to worship and follow.
I wonder if the image of a rose trampled on the ground is how we view ourselves at this time of coronavirus? Cut off from life sources such as our friends and family. Trampled under the weight of worries to do with money, health and education. Yet the Holy Spirit lives within us. Our faith may be as small as a mustard seed, but it can grow. Great things are possible.
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