A Crime of Passion

I am falling in love. I am falling in love with a man I hardly know, and yet I feel like I have known him the whole of my life. He is a clever, confident and compassionate guy with an energy that is unbelievably contagious. He is gentle with people and bold with words. He has this uncompromising and captivating presence that you simply can’t ignore. He's the kind of person you can tell anything and want to tell everything. Anyone would fall for this guy, and indeed many have. He's quickly becoming a huge part of my life and my time, and somehow I know this is only the beginning of our relationship.

But who is this man, who has captured my attention so completely? Many of you have already met him, in one way or another. Some have passed him by unknowingly, and for you I am genuinely disappointed, because you have missed out on an amazing soul. Some have had a reaction similar to the one I have described here, which is much more than a simple collection of words. To you I smile, because the connections to him and to each other give us a unique context for all other relationships. But who, you ask, is this man? This intriguer of hearts? His name is Jesus.

Don't roll your eyes or write me off just yet, because this is potentially the first time you have been introduced to him in this light. Jesus isn't always the quiet, meek man seen in paintings. In fact, he was, generally, much the opposite. Artists have been tragically misled in this way. He is a passionate leader; a king in the front lines, showing us exactly how to fight. He is a rebellious activist, exposing flaws in the government and arguing with religious figureheads, forcing them to look either foolish or weak. He performed miracles, not magic. He taught with the power of experience, far beyond his years. Who wouldn't be attracted to this guy? Or, perhaps it is easier to say, who wouldn't be threatened by him? That's why he died. Not because he was wrong, but because the people couldn't control him any other way. Their only solution was murder. The funny thing is that it didn’t work.