The Son of Man vs. Wild

Remember Man vs. Wild? Great show. I have probably seen every episode, from the bee sting allergic reaction, to the climbing inside the camel carcass and I don’t even want to remember the enema episode. If you don’t know what this is then let me fill you in. There is a military veteran, British survivalist named Bear Grylls who had a film crew follow him as he demonstrated how to survive in various habitats from tundra, to rain forest, to desert etc.. The show lasted seven seasons on the Discovery channel.

One of the things I appreciated about Bear is his outward expression of his Christian faith. He often made a sign of the cross before jumping out of a helicopter or plane and he liked to talk about the importance of spirituality when you are in a survival situation. 

Though he never said it, he probably realized that Jesus was a survivalist too. I believe Jesus would have been able to keep up with Bear and actually show Bear a thing or two about the manly art of survival. Jesus had all the qualities one would need to prevail alone in nature. He had experience, technical skills, physical strength, stamina, courage and of course the deepest spiritual reservoir.  

Experience and Skill

From when he was a little kid Jesus was around St. Joseph, tools, and rough materials. He watched and learned how to be skillful, patient, and persistent in honing a craft.  He knew how to ‘macgyver’ things and to make due with a life of poverty. He traveled long distances on foot or sometimes on the back of a donkey. Undoubtedly, he along with the rest of the caravan, set up camp out in the open under the stars. He would have known how to gather tinder and firewood. He would have known how to start a fire without the modern convenience of matches or a lighter. He would have known what plants were edible and what insects and animals he could eat. When he was lost in the Temple precincts he was at home. He knew how to be self-sufficient from an early age. Jesus was experienced, skilled and at home in the outdoors.

Courage and Perseverance 

We know, from many examples in Scripture, that he preferred to be alone in the wilderness or on a mountain. The most well known example is when he was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days and nights. He was alone and without food or drink. Imagine the dangers he faced, snakes, sun, cold nights, scorpions, thorns, rugged terrain, hunger and thirst. Though he voluntarily fasted, he managed to set up camp somewhere out there and probably at least had a fire going. Courageously,he persevered in the most extreme survival situation.  

Not Afraid to Engage

Jesus was also masculine. We know from the Shroud of Turin that Jesus was a 5’10” stocky man with broad shoulders and a beard. He said come follow me and very rugged fishermen obeyed him. If he were a weakling they might not have respected him enough to give up everything for a chance to be his disciple. He put fear in the hearts of many Pharisees by scolding them publicly. He was not someone to be messed with. The money changers at the Temple found out the hard way as he whipped them and over turned their tables. Jesus tackled problems head on and without fear.

When they came to arrest Lion of Judah he demonstrated his might, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said.  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground” (Jn 18:4-8). Jesus had a powerful presence.

Stamina

When we meditate on the scourging of Jesus, we recall that the soldiers used the Roman flagrum which is a whip with led dumbbell shaped balls fastened to the end of the multiple leather straps. Again, based on the Shroud of Turin, the Romans delivered over 120 scourge wounds to his body. That was excessive considering that they were not trying to kill him. If Jesus were a weakling, they would never have gone that far. Jesus had stamina.

Physical Strength

He carried the five to six foot long cross beam or patibulum through the Via Dolorosa a half mile (2 times around a track) uphill to Calvary. It weighed anywhere from 75-125 lbs.. He did this while dehydrated, no sleep, in pain, and bleeding out. He did not tap out and fall back on his supernatural power to cut corners. He endured it in his humanness. Jesus was physically strong.

Spirituality

Jesus was the ultimate lone survivor because he was never actually alone. ”How is it you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? I am not speaking the words which I am saying to you from Myself, but the Father abiding in Me is doing His works“ (Jn 14:9-10). Jesus has the deepest spiritual strength because no matter the circumstances, he is always in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit.