Would Jesus Wear a Mask?

Would Jesus wear a mask? I saw this question a couple weeks ago in an online article. I understand where the question is coming from. The author pointed out that Jesus looked out for other’s people interests and poured himself out for others and that we should do the same.

I understand why I wear a mask. But why would Jesus wear a mask? Would it have been to prevent him from being infected by someone? Was it to prevent himself becoming a carrier of a sickness? Becoming sick or a carrier is what happens to other human beings. However, Jesus was not just a son of man, he was The Son of Man and The Son of God.

For this reason, contact with Jesus had a very different result than contact with someone else. In Matthew 8:14-15, it says, “And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.”

People came from all over just to touch Jesus. Mark 9:53-56 says, “When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”

Jesus left the safety of Heaven and entered into our infected world. Rather than himself becoming infe
cted and spreading it to others, Jesus did just the opposite. Jesus did not infect anyone, but “exfected” them. In the NRSV, Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 say that sin came into the world through the first Adam, but that healing and life came through the last Adam, which is Christ. As the Azazel bore the sins out of the camp and away from the people on the day of Atonement, so did Christ carry our sins away as far as the east is from the west. In fact, one of the words translated “forgive” in Hebrew literally means “to carry,” which is what Jesus does for us at the cross and the empty tomb. His blood does not infect, it disinfects through faith. He is the carrier of the cure, not the disease.

I am reminded of the time Jesus breathed on his Apostles and said, “receive the Holy Spirit.” His breath does not weaken and bring death, his breath strengthens and brings life. Through Christ, there ultimately will no longer be any death, mourning, crying or pain.

As a result, we no longer have a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline. We are able to be cautious and prudent from a place of love rather than fear. Love moves us to consider risks in a different way than fear does. When it comes to serving in the name of Christ, we see the greater risk in doing nothing rather than serving in the way Christ did when he left Heaven. We stand in the company of Christians who minister to the sick and dying while the rest are fleeing in fear. Like many early Christians, we see it as a type of martyrdom that expresses devotion and love.

Unlike other human beings, Jesus did not need to wear a mask. Thank you Lord for Jesus, whose blood bore our sins away, and whose breath brings us life.