JCS: I Don't Know How to Love Him

Listen along!
112 - I Don't Know How to Love Him


So, if you have listened to the song, you might be saying, "Wow, Matt really blew his interpretation of 'Strange Thing Mystifying' & 'Everything's Alright'!" Not so, gentle reader. At least, I don't think so. Maybe this is me just re-justifying my position, maybe not, but we shall see.

First off, this song is Mary's soliloquy essentially and, as we've discovered so far, much of this character is mash-up of other, smaller roles that were created for JCS. They're plausible, but not necessarily 100% accurate.

"He's a man, he's just a man." Is Mary ignoring Christ's divinity here? No, I don't think so. I think this is an acknowledgement of the fact that he's God and man, but it's more impressive to her that he's a man. A God-Man. Rather mind-boggling, isn't it? She acknowledges that he's changed her: "I've been changed, yes really changed / In these past few days when I've seen myself / I seem like someone else." In the Bible the real Mary Magadalene had 7 demons driven out of her by Christ, JCS doesn't go into that kind of personal history. If that's consistent between the two Marys, then I would assume she has to be sure about who he is.

What I like about this song is that it's one I can relate to. I might not necessarily be wanting Christ to fall in romantic love with me, but I often ask the question of how I'm supposed to love him. Would you approach the God we see in the Old Testament the same way that you would Christ? The perspectives we have of "each" God are different and competing in some ways, but I think that's just our perspectives. Or the different identities of God. God the father. God the shepherd. God the warrior. God the king. I know I'd treat, let alone love, a king and a shepherd different. But nevertheless, they're all part of God.

Mary brings up an interesting question here with her confusion about how to love this God-man who has changed her in so many ways. But there is an answer and God gives it to us: with heart, mind, and soul maxed out. All of our devotion, all of our intelligence, and all of our passion. Thankfully God doesn't ask for much ;)