Everywhere I travel, there seems to be an odd fascination
with one man. His picture is all over the wall or the fridge; this is how
I am tipped off that people are thinking and talking about this guy a lot.
It's not Crowie or Macca, the Raelerts, Andy Potts, or the Brownlee
brothers. He's been around a lot longer. It's Jesus
In St. George, it's the Mormons. In Birmingham ,
there are Protestants, and in Boise
they are non-denominational. Why, even out East I still find the
Mennonites in Lake Placid (or maybe those are orthodox
Jews...anyways). One homestay host is a V.P., another a Ph. D in Biology,
another a Ph. D in chemistry, yet another is a police officer, another is a
college student. But the fascination still remains- it seems to traverse
age, education level, socio-economic status, and occupation.
Jesus is kind of a big deal. Even in a sport that can
consume our time, thoughts, and (especially) our cash, there is still a big
interest in Jesus in the triathlon community- Pro, Age-grouper, volunteer, fan,
and homestay host alike. We pray at Ironman banquets, and at Rev3 you
hear worship music. Wildflower has Campus Crusade for Christ all over the
place, and numerous Christian organizations are very active in triathlon- Fellowship of Christian athletes (FCA), Multisport Ministries, and Tri 4 Him to name a few.
Consideration of who this man is or was cannot be easily dismissed.
Some say he was a good teacher. To that, Jesus
replies, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God
alone." Some say he is useful for some people if they feel it helps
them, but is not useful for others. To that, Jesus says, "I am THE
WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE " (emphasis
mine). The repetition of "the" carries the same meaning we
would ascribe it like when we call someone “the man” – terms like
"supreme," "preeminent," the only thing that really
counts," or "kind of a big deal" could carry the same meaning.
Following this, Jesus statement, concludes, "No one comes to the
Father except through me." If that isn't a chilling statement, why
did I just have to put my arm warmers on?
Still others think that Jesus is on his throne in heaven,
angry at them, issuing commands and expectations, while offering no real help.
To this Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." So just what is going on here, is Jesus
demanding something or offering something? Because many are confused on
this point.
Yet others assume that if their good deeds outweigh their
bad deeds, then Jesus will love them, accept them, and grant them admittance
into His heaven. According to Jesus, this is the grossest distortion of
them all. The gospel of Luke records:
He also told this parable to some people who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. "The
Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not
like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector.'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of
all that I get.' "But the tax collector, standing some distance
away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his
breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'"I tell you,
this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14)
My point today is not to give a philosophical proof for the
existence of God, or provide evidence that Jesus rose from the dead, or even to
provide a clear explanation of the gospel. All these things I can and
will do, but that is not my aim here. My simple question is, "do you
really know Jesus?", and my appeal to you is, "get to know the real
Jesus." Don't rely on hearsay, rumor, or conjecture. Don't
even rely on what your parents, priests, or pastors told you when you as a kid.
Go to the primary source documents. If you don't know where to
start, start with the Gospel of John.
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge
the world, but that the world might be saved through him." - John
3:17
