The Humanity of Jesus

I saw many a “pieta” during my time in Italy, but there was one in the Duomo in Orvieto that made me ponder, “I wonder if Jesus looked like Mary? When she looked upon her Son’s face, did she see her face looking back at her?” After all, Jesus was fully God and fully man, and his humanity or DNA was tied to Mary, not Joseph. I’m sure she was like every other mother I know who stares at the face of her child while they sleep, when they cry, and when they are rejoicing, etching every detail into memory. As Jesus came down from the cross, I’m sure Mary continued to gaze upon her Son’s face just the same, with her heart breaking for the man that was once a part of her very own body. But also knowing that it was for this moment and these coming days that she had waited.

Paintings of Mary breastfeeding Jesus also reminds me of His humanity. He was once physically dependent upon His mother in every way, just like every other child. Jesus was nursed as the breast of Mary. Jesus was raised, guided, taught and directed by His human mother who would be by His side until he died.