Kind of a Big Deal
I wanted to share this with you. It’s from the 6-10-09 blog entry of Kevin Deyoung, entitled “Who do you say that I am?” Deyoung notes that we all have a tendency to remake Jesus in our own image, then he gives us several examples. Here are a few…
- · There's the Republican Jesus—who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms.
- · There's Democrat Jesus—who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.
- · There's Open-minded Jesus—who loves everyone all the time no matter what (except for people who are not as open-minded as you).
- · There's Martyr Jesus—a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him.
- · There's Hippie Jesus—who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagines a world without religion, and helps us remember that "all you need is love."
- · There's Yuppie Jesus—who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat.
- · There's Touchdown Jesus—who helps athletes fun faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls.
There are more, but you get the point. Everybody has an aspect of Jesus’ personality that they tend to prefer over the others. The real challenge is to take Jesus as he is rather than try to make him into the Jesus that we want him to be.
This Sunday, we’re going to read a passage that defies our tendency to put Jesus in a box of our own making. Paul is unapologetic in reminding us that Jesus alone represents the zenith of humanity. Just look at Colossians 1:15-20. This is not a small Jesus who stands by silently, waiting like a butler to do our bidding. He doesn’t exist to serve our needs or champion our politics.
But the good news is this: he’s so much greater than anything we can imagine. And his greatness is the means by which we are saved.