Was Jesus Emo?

While I was studying for this week's lesson, "Jesus and Emotions", I came across this picture (on the right). "Emo" is something that has become popular within the last decade. But what is it, exactly, and WAS Jesus emo?

Emo originally started out as a sub-genre of music, known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore". It is know today as a sort of fashion trend and lifestyle attitude. People who are emo tend to dress in skinny jeans, tight shirts, and comb their long bangs to cover one or both their eyes. Most people describe the personality and attitude of an emo person as emotionally candid, sensitive, introverted, quiet, shy and glum. Sad, depressed, and heartbroken are also emotions used to describe someone who is emo. Emo music and poetry is filled with depression due to unrequited love, emotional issues, and relationship problems.

Does this really describe Jesus? I believe Jesus was emotionally candid and sensitive. He constantly showed His love and acceptance toward everyone. He showed His anger to the Pharisee's and those who turned His Father's house into a market (like we looked at last week). At times He was introverted and quiet. He would sit, listen, and just be with people. He withdrew at times to connect, get refreshed and re-energized by His Father. There were things that made Him sad and broken hearted, like those who were in need, or those who were unaccepted and thrown away by society. Though He was NOT shy, glum or depressed, He DID have unrequited love, and relationship problems (though not from any fault of His own). He (and God) was constantly seeking out, loving and accepting humanity, despite rejection.

Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." He was despised, (meaning He was hated) and He was rejected (meaning He was lonely). He seemed to have every reason to be depressed, but He wasn't.

Depression is a feeling of hopelessness for the future. It's a choice, an attitude we choose to respond with to life. It's a feeling of hopelessness for the future, and a defining characteristic behind the emo attitude. Jesus wasn't hopeless. He had more hope than anyone could ever have, He was confident of what the future would bring.

Jesus' attitude was not depression but hope. Jesus wasn't emo, but He did have lots of emotions, good reasons behind each and every one and He never let His emotions get out of control. Join us this week at Crash as we discover more of Christ's emotions, how they are like ours, His reasons behind them and how those reasons should help shape our own emotions.