Beautiful Savior

The great German hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus” begins the third verse with the line, “Beautiful Savior . . .” This helps us make the connection between Grace and Jesus.  Grace, the beautiful woman, is the heart and soul of Jesus, the beautiful Savior. 

This does not mean that He was the handsomest man to walk in ancient Galilee.  In fact, the prophet Isaiah had said of Him that He would have “no beauty that we should desire Him.” (53:2 NKJV) What He did have was Grace.  What He was, was Grace.  He was the perfect embodiment of all the Grace of God.  He was full of grace, brimming over with it. 

Grace poured out of Him to the outcast leper that He didn’t hesitate to touch.  Grace poured out of Him to the little children he stooped to embrace.  Grace poured out of Him to the grieving mother whose son He raised.  Grace poured out of Him to the multitudes that He invited to come to Him and find rest.  Grace poured out of Him in His sorrowing with Mary and Martha and in raising Lazarus from the dead.  Grace poured out from Him to the sinful woman who had washed His feet with her tears.  Grace poured out from Him to the centurion who had supervised His crucifixion as He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Grace poured out from Him as He returned to His doubting and mocking brothers James and Jude following His resurrection and said to them once more, “Believe in me.”  Grace poured out from Him to Peter the denier when He offered him a ministry during a seaside breakfast.  Grace was His nature.  Grace poured out from Him because that was who He was.

In Christ that is who we are to be as well.  We are commanded to grow in grace.  We have been saved to minister the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to a world desperately needing someone to be gracious to them.  We are to be gracious in speech, gracious in actions, gracious in character.  We are to have Jesus alive in us and He is Grace.  Tom Jones, in his beautiful Gospel song, “Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me”, challenges us to follow Christ in His expression of God’s great and wonderful grace to this world.  Sing it over and over today, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”