What is Beauty?

I have this habit of looking up words to make sure I have them spelled correctly and that I’m using the word properly, especially when I’m writing something. In my mind a certain word fits, but then I second guess myself and open up google to make sure it’s correct. Most of my browsing history is word definitions.

I came across a quote the other day that grabbed my attention.

Being pretty isn’t the same as being beautiful. Pretty is an adjective. Beauty is a verb. It’s the things you do. It’s the way you love. It’s the way you make people feel. It’s the way you give back. It’s the good things you put into the world.

Pretty is.

But beauty goes out and does.
-Amy Weatherly

Now I know how to spell “beauty”, but what caught my eye was its part of speech. Is that correct? Is beauty really a verb? According to the dictionary beauty is a noun. It means “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight” or “a beautiful woman”. Neither of which is a verb. So I did what anyone else would do and let that quote sit on a Pinterest board.

A few days after reading that quote and still pondering it, we sang a song in worship service that made me question again “what is beauty?”. The song was “Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen”. If we use the world’s definition of beauty then we need to know what Jesus looked like and if we take this song at face value then we all need to be wearing a Jesus costume.

All of Isaiah 53 is about our Lord and in verse 2 we have a description about his physical appearance-

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

Jesus was not a walking beauty. He was not a GQ model. His appearance was that of an ordinary and quite literary a down to earth man. Throughout the song not one word was mentioned about His physical appearance.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, All His wonderful passion and purity; May His Spirit divine all my being refine, Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. When somebody has been so unkind to you, Some word spoken that pierces you thru and thru, Think how He was beguiled, spat upon and reviled, Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.
From the dawn of the morning to close of day, In example in deeds and in all you say; Lay your gifts at His feet, ever strive to keep sweet, Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.

So, what exactly is beauty? Is beauty truly more of a verb than a noun? What is this beauty of Jesus that needs to be seen?

We don’t read if He was short or tall, skinny or fat, ate healthy or junk, or if He wore designer clothing. Every instance we read about our Lord is about His character, His teachings, and His attitude. The beauty of our Lord did not come from a beauty cream. The beauty of our Lord came from what he did.

Our Lord was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Our Lord took the form of a bond servant, humbled Himself, and was obedient to God (Philippians 2:5-11). Our Lord showed us how to love (John 13:34, John 15:13), how to treat our fellow man (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 5:43-48), how to act when treated with anger (Luke 23:34, Matthew 5:38-42).

The beauty of Jesus that needs to be seen through us and by us is definitely a verb. Our beauty comes when we are out doing and living the way our Lord did.