Who Was Jesus

DateLine (4/19/06 – Ponce, Puerto Rico)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia, and soon The Da Vinci Code. The word is out; Mel Gibson proved beyond the shadow of a doubt; Jesus is a winner at the box office. It doesn’t matter if it’s head on a la Passion or allegorical a la Rings and Narnia or religious action thriller ala Da Vinci. There is an endless stream of “business people” trying to capitalize on the new found popularity of Jesus. No doubt that National Geographic was profit motivated by the “timing” of the media blitz regarding the “Gospel” of Judas, right in the middle of the Easter season. Jesus is hot!

“Opie” (Ron Howard, the director of the Da Vinci Code) and Forest Gump (Tom Hanks) are now trying to reproduce the box office results of Mel Gibson’s blockbuster with their movie. Only problem with this new found “religion” by Hollywood is that Jesus is only viewed as another casting move – it’s obvious that they really don’t get it. How can anyone believe that the heretical fiction of the Da Vinci Code could be marketed to the church and expect that it will be received the same way the Passion was.

There is an “opportunity” here but it will not yield millions for movie moguls it will yield lost sheep for the King. The Jesus appeal is misinterpreted by the profiteers. The thirst for anything Jesus is born of an innate desire to know eternal purpose and hope for the future. This media phenomenon is setting the table for Christians to answer the most profound question that has ever been posed; who was Jesus? Now to be sure it appears that Satan is setting the table. But here’s the truth, it doesn’t matter who sets the table, the only thing that matters is who serves the meal. That’s where you and I come in.

Regardless of how it may appear this attempt to exploit God for profit is serving up a great opportunity for us to tell the real story, the Good News. To be honest we are going to have to be careful. This is a complex scheme that the Enemy has hatched; strong possibility is that it’s a trap. If Satan can spread half-truth or untruth while simultaneously provoking the saints into a direct frontal assault; picketing movie theaters, condemning authors, burning books, etc. it’s a win-win for him; polluting the Gospel while portraying saints as extreme fundamentalists.

I want to suggest another strategy. 1) Take a look at what is being offered up from a critical point of view, 2) Develop a Christian apology (that’s intellectual speak for a defense) to counter the heresy, 3) Contemplate your own experience with God to make it fresh in your mind, and finally 4) Keep your radar up for the inevitable opportunity to “serve the meal.” With this much buzz about Jesus, you will have the chance to answer the question; who was Jesus.