What Shall I Do With This Man

Before we delve into this week’s column I want to begin with a quote.
And I want you all to really think about it.
Hopefully, if I’ve done my job, it’ll tie in well at the end.
So here we go.
“A human life has value to God wherever it lives and we’re not being let off the hook with geographical location being an excuse for somebody’s life to be wasted.”
Ok, now you might want to read that a few more times, but we’ll continue.
As you already know (unless you do truly live in a cave), Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, was released in theaters last week.
Now I wasn’t planning on writing about this movie, but as Gibson said, “I couldn’t not do it.”
I saw the movie Friday night and I’ll admit --it’s violent, but it is an amazing work of art.
I recommended to my mom that she waits for it to come out on DVD so she can pause or fast forward through it.
But beyond the violence and beyond the controversy there is a question that I believe needs to be answered.
It’s the same question that was asked nearly 2000 years ago by Pontius Pilate.
“What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
As you watch The Passion of the Christ we see numerous accounts of what others have done with Jesus.
Of course we have his disciples. The 12 men who have give up three years of their life following Him.
Yet as we see from the opening of the movie, they have trouble keeping watch and praying with him.
We also have Judas Iscariot, one of the 12.
A name that has become synonymous with “traitor.”
In the Passion and in the Gospels we see that Judas struggles with this question of Pilates.
We see that he is willing to give up his friend, companion and teacher for a mere 30 pieces of silver.
In hindsight, I look back and can’t believe he would betray The Christ for something that small and that futile -- yet, I look at all the things in my life that I’ve betrayed Christ for and realize I’ve done it for much less.
But Judas and I aren’t alone.
Another disciple turned his back on Jesus in a crucial moment.
Peter denied he knew Christ three times after The Christ’s arrest.
How many times have I denied my faith or my walk with Christ in order to stay “out of trouble?”
How many times have I backed down from a chance to be a witness in hopes that someone might like me more?
I can easily claim to be a Disciple of Christ or a Child of God on Sundays, but what about Wednesday or Friday or Saturday night?
Who’s child am I claiming to be then?
Another character in The Passion of the Christ, that Gibson took some artistic license with, was Simon of Cyrene.
There is only a brief mention of Simon in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, but I enjoyed the scenes Gibson added with Simon.
As you see in the movie (theologians upset with Gibson’s straying from the Gospels please bear with me), Simon was a member of the crowd.
He simply came to see the show until he was made to become a key player on the Via De La Rosa (The Way of the Cross).
Simon was very reluctant to get involved.
He didn’t want to cause trouble. He didn’t want to be associated with this man, The Christ.
Yet when he looked upon the face of Christ he was changed.
Like Moses talking to God on the mountainside -- looking upon God changed his entire appearance.
As he struggled to carry the cross of Christ to Golgotha he changed. He knew that this man was no ordinary man. He knew that this man was special.
Perhaps he had been a part of the crowd on Passover.
Making a huge fanfare about this new man riding into town.
Perhaps he had been with Jesus in Gailee when Jesus had taught.
Perhaps he was even caught up in the frenzy of a mob that hollered for Pilate to crucify Jesus.
We don’t know.
But in Gibson’s version of the story, we can see that no matter what his past was, he was a changed man after his face-to-face encounter with The Christ.
He couldn’t not change.
Like Gibson has said in a number of interviews, The Passion of the Christ was a story he had to tell, because of the difference it made in his life.
And the Passion of my Christ is a story I must tell as well, because of the difference it’s made in my life – yet so often like Peter, or Judas – I betray my Savior for measly things on this earth.
Very quickly, let’s go back to the quote I gave you at the beginning of the column, “A human life has value to God wherever it lives and we’re not being let off the hook with geographical location being an excuse for somebody’s life to be wasted.”
Any guesses on who said this?
Does it matter? That quote should hit each of us between the eyes.
The man who said this knows what Christ has done for each of us.
He knows what Christ has called each of us to do.
He knows that following Christ means it should make a difference in our lives.
We should care and love for everyone around us not as a suggestion from Christ, but as a commandment of Christ.
We should be willing to go at the drop of a hat to Asia or Africa or Russia if we are called.
We should be willing to give up a Saturday to help build a house for someone in East Temple with Habitat for Humanity.
We should be willing to give up a lunch break once or twice a month to help hand out food and clothes to the needy with Helping Hands.
We should love our fellow man, because He gave us the ultimate example of love.
“Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.”
I admire friends of mine, who are ready and waiting to head to the mission field. They realize that God’s love knows no geographic bounds. They have examined Pilates question and said, “This is what I shall do with Christ.”
May God bless them abundantly on their journeys.
And while I and many of you don’t yet feel God’s call to a foreign country, may we do everything here in Belton, TX to share God’s love.
May we examine each day, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
Is it just a fad we’re apart of – or has he made a true difference in our life?
And for those of you who might be reading this column and wondering what is all this fuss about Jesus about – I’d be amiss if I didn’t offer this phone number to you: 1-888-Need-Him.
It’s simple, it’s free and they will be happy to answer any questions you might have about this man they call the Christ.
Or e-mail me – I’d love to show you what He has done for me.