In recent years, many have grown concerned about the lack of “manliness” in our society. Men seem to have lost touch with the masculine energy that has helped perpetuate humanity and was a defining characteristic of the “Greatest
Generation.” Our modern conveniences have caused men to grow lazy and insulate (or, better, isolate) themselves from their community. Men can go through life without contributing anything to society and simply going to work for the bare minimum amount of time, living in their mothers’ basements, and playing games in their ample free time. There have been movements to try and counteract this decrease of “masculinity” by challenging and educating men on how to be men instead of boys in men’s bodies. They draw from anthropology, psychology, and other social sciences to help reestablish this construct of masculinity that helped serve the world rather than serve themselves.

Yet, we need only the Bible to be our guide for defining masculinity. Often times, the Bible’s portrayal of masculinity is the opposite of what the cultures of the world practice. Jesus as the archetypal human and man shows us that masculinity is not defined by violence, ambition, and self-sufficiency. Jesus teaches us that true masculinity is peaceful, loving, humble, selfless, and completely dependent on the Father. Furthermore, to put it in Jungian terms, Jesus is also the embodiment of the masculine archetypes of king, warrior, “magician,” and lover. He is king, not by being a tyrant, but by serving others. He is a warrior, not by slaying his enemies, but by defeating the chaos and evil of this world through self-sacrifice. He is “magician” by depending upon God and the Holy Spirit for empowerment and wisdom rather than himself. He is a “lover” not by being a womanizer but by selflessly serving everyone, including sinners, the marginalized, and even his enemies.