The Fake Jesus

Last night at the dinner table my 5 year old daughter was telling my wife and I about a Christian show that she has seen on TV. She said that in the movie, the fake Jesus had healed a man and then the fake Jesus had been arrested and then put on a cross. The fake Jesus comment got our attention. Our daughter then proceeded to tell us a few more things that this fake Jesus had done in the movie. Finally I interrupted her and asked, "who exactly is this fake Jesus?" She said, "the Jesus in the movie." I asked, "but why do keep calling him the fake Jesus?" She looked at me for a second and then impatiently said, "He is the fake Jesus because it is just someone playing Jesus, it was not the real Jesus." "Oh I said," feeling a little stupid, "I guess the actor would be a fake Jesus, wouldn't he?" Her observation reminded me of those commercials where the guy, who usually was an actor on a medical drama, would say, "I am not a real doctor, I just play one on TV." My daughter understood that the guy in the movie was just an actor, he was not the real thing. I could just hear that actor in a commercial written to sell Bibles, "I am not really the Messiah, I just play one in the movies."

As humorous as her fake Jesus comments were, they made me think of a very stark reality. As Christians, people called to be Christ-like, how many times are we the fake Jesus? We are called to be Jesus to other people. What that means is that when people see us they see Jesus in us and are attracted to him. I wonder how many times when people see us they see the fake Jesus instead. How often are we playing a role instead of being the living witness that God wants us to be? In the next several weeks here at Family of Christ we will be studying the Externally Focused Life. In this study we will be looking at how we can live our lives for others. The focus is to be Christ, the real Christ, to those around us everyday.

What does that mean you may ask? Well it means first and foremost that our faith is not just a head knowledge or even just a heart knowledge, but that it is a hands and feet knowledge as well. It means that we live out what we believe. It means that our faith results in us taking practical actions to help others, to serve others with our time and our abilities and our resources. Jesus didn't just tell people he was the Savior, he showed them. He healed them, he feed them, he raised them from the dead, he cast out demons. He showed his love for people in practical ways that then brought people to faith in him. As people of God, who are called to be Christ-like, we are asked by God to do the same thing. We are called to live out our faith and show Christ's love to others in ways that are tangible and that actually physically and emotional help people. Then with the guidance of the Holy Spirit people will be brought to faith in this real Jesus.

How is your faith walk doing this week? Are you just an actor, a fake Jesus, in a movie, or are you the real thing? Who do people see when they look at you? Even 5 year olds can tell the difference.

Pastor Fred