Jesus, the Son of Man, Seen Through the Eyes of Kahlil Gibran

Considered by many literary voices a true lyrical genius, Kahlil Gibran was born in Bsharri, Lebanon, in 1883. Then he moved to New York City in 1912, where he led a life dedicated to painting and literature. He died in the year of 1931. Here’s one of his best quotes on himself: I simply can't relax. My mind is like a brook, always running, always seeking, always murmuring. I was born with an arrow in my heart, and it is painful to pull it and painful to leave it... I live so much within myself, like an oyster. I am an oyster trying to form a pearl of my own heart. But they say that a pearl is nothing but the disease of the oyster."

The Jesus painted in his writing by Gibran stands for the sublime, supreme figure of all times: "My art can find no better resting place than the personality of Jesus. His life is the symbol of Humanity. He shall always be the supreme figure of all ages and in Him we shall always find mystery, passion, love, imagination, tragedy, beauty, romance and truth." He called Christ a "raging tempest," a qualifier which occurs in many of his Arabic literary works. Gibran’s view on Jesus took the shape of his beautiful writing entitled Jesus, the Son of Man (published in 1928, so two years before his death). Some critics considered this book to be so inspired, that it was even better than his famous "The Prophet".

Whereas most of his visions and opinions suffered changes across the years of his life, his genuine fascination with Christ remained a constant. In fact, he felt there was a deep connection actually resembling a family relation between him, as born in Lebanon, and his spiritual leader, Jesus from Galilee, the Nazarene. This is what he said about Him: "The Nazarene was not weak! He was strong and is strong! But the people refuse to heed the true meaning of strength. . . He lived as a leader: He was crucified as a crusader; He died with a heroism that frightened His killers and tormentors. Jesus was not a bird with broken wings; He was a raging tempest who broke all crooked wings."

Gibran makes full proof of his wonderful sensitivity when giving life to the voices of those who knew Jesus, who wore close to Him, but also of those who knew him only partially or did not know him at all. He let them speak in their own words about their feelings, experiences and memories of Jesus. He thus draws a very convincing portrait of Christ, of a rather intimate nature, and what transpires through his writing is his great affection and admiration towards Christ, His teachings and His sacrifice for humanity.

The voices in this book belong to Mary’s mother, Anna, Barabbas, Judas, the voice of betrayal, some of the disciples-John, Peter, Luke, Matthew, John the Baptist, also Caiaphas, the high priest, Salome, Pontius Pilate, and also some ordinary people like a merchant, a widow, or a cobbler. Among all of these, perhaps one of the most affectionate and sensitive voices belongs to Mary of Magdal, the ex-adulterous woman who is completely transformed through the love, grace and forgiveness of the Son of Man and the Son of God. What are the exact words that bring about the great revolution in her spirit? ""Then He stood up and looked at me even as the seasons might look down upon the field, and He smiled. And He said again: "All men love you for themselves. I love you for yourself." And then He walked away…" Who would not be moved and changed by such words, coming from the lips of Jesus, the Savior?

The only ones the Gibran Jesus would not tolerate are the hypocrites: "You have chosen your words well when you called the sinners weak and infirm. I do forgive them their weakness of body and their infirmity of spirit. For their failings have been laid upon them by their forefathers, or by the greed of their neighbors. But I tolerate not the hypocrite, because he himself lays a yoke upon the guileless and the yielding."