“Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.'” – Luke 9:23
In today’s world, holiness is often distorted and portrayed as aesthetically pleasing. We are seeing the rise of unrighteousness and a self-centered mindset, with people becoming “lovers of self” as Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3:2. This focus on appearances blinds many to the truth that the life of Christ and the essence of the Gospel are not about glamour. Instead, Christ’s life exemplifies love, sacrifice, humility, and, at times, profound hardship. True holiness calls us to look beyond the surface and embrace the depth of His calling.
As I reflect on Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I see Him as a hidden figure for most of His life, someone who shunned the spotlight. He lived in such hiddenness that much of His life remained unrecorded until the fulfillment of prophecy began to unfold. Isaiah 53:2 says, “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground,” a quiet beginning, only to reveal His mission when the time was right. It is in His hidden years that the foundation was laid for the powerful fruit of His ministry to come alive.
Though crowds often sought Him, He did not seek out their attention. Scripture tells us that He “rose early” and “went off to pray” (Mark 1:35), often retreating to quiet places where no one could see Him. This shows that His communion with the Father was not for public display but an intimate and private act of devotion. His prayer life wasn’t a publicity stunt, but the core of His relationship with God.
Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, but no scribes or followers were present to document the struggle He faced (Matthew 4:1-11). We only know about the spiritual warfare and temptations that came after that period of fasting and prayer. This reminds us that much of His life was spent in quiet preparation, hidden from the public eye.
Though He was God in human form, Jesus humbled Himself to learn and study the Scriptures. As a boy, He was found in the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46), modeling what it means to hunger for the Word even as a young child. Even with His divine identity, He valued growth in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52).
Throughout His ministry, He often slipped away from the crowds to be by Himself (Luke 5:16). This retreating shows that holiness is often quiet, hidden, and marked by deep sacrifice. The road to the cross was no exception. Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, and eventually crucified. His holiness was revealed through the brutal, painful process of death and resurrection, showing that the journey toward righteousness can be raw and not so pretty (Isaiah 53:3-5).
Yet, in all of this, Jesus “did not sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). His life and death unveiled a path of holiness that wasn’t cloaked in glory and praise but in suffering, sacrifice, and deep intimacy with God.
However, the most humbling message for me comes from the powerful words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Honestly, I feel deeply convicted as I write this, because how can we, as a society, glamorize something so personal, so difficult, and so sacred? Something so hidden. But yet, so powerful.
The Gospel is Not Pretty, But It Is Powerful
The message of the Gospel is about redemption, sacrifice, and transformation. Jesus did not promise us an easy, picture-perfect life. He said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The Gospel calls us to look beyond the aesthetically pleasing images of holiness that we see around us and embrace the messy, real, and often painful journey of following Christ. Through this journey, we find true freedom and joy, not in how things look on the outside, but in how Christ transforms us from the inside out.
As we pursue this path, may our eyes be fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and may we shine with His light in a world desperately in need of the true beauty of holiness. Remember, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).
May we all seek the praise that comes from God alone, living lives that reflect His glory, even when the journey is hard and the world doesn’t understand. Ultimately, it is not about how we look but about who we are becoming in Christ.
