Pushing Jesus (part 2)
So how does one push Jesus? He’s not some fancy new gadget we need to sell. If we push Jesus like He’s some new “all in one,” “for a limited time only,” “only three easy payments of 19.95” product, what kind of image of Christ do we present? In today’s society we look for the quick fix. We want the easy pill we swallow that gets us what we want fast. Jesus is not a quick fix. He’s not someone to go to only when there is a problem that needs solved. He’s not a fashion accessory to be pulled out when the occasion calls for it. I’m learning that my perception of Christ has been changing as I get older (and hopefully wiser). As a child Jesus was the man in the beard, dressed in white, who loved everyone and everything. He was lovely and beautiful, but in a way not real or realistic at all. He was not a man I could relate to. He was somewhere out there just out of reach. Now, for me Jesus is more realistic. He’s still a loving figure, but I realize now that He lived life as a man, experiencing anger, temptation, pain, and sorrow. Jesus attracted men like Peter (who I imagine as a real guy’s guy, who was tough, and impulsive). Jesus lived life with “His head in the heavens, but His feet down in the mud.”