There is an
old saying that is often true: “Familiarity
breeds contempt.” It simply means that
when people become familiar with something, they tend to start losing their appreciation
or respect for it and begin taking it for granted. It becomes common. Jesus alluded to this same principle when He
said that a prophet is not without honor except in his own home town (Mark
6:4).
But today,
not only is there a growing (and disturbing) loss of appreciation and loss of
respect toward Jesus Himself in the
world, this same lack of respect for Him is even in the church. In the modern church’s
fervent quest to use absolutely anything at all to attract the youth of today,
many churches are resorting to the use of street
language to make Jesus seem more common and mundane, perhaps more
approachable.
Many in the
church (including pastors) are trying to force Jesus into today’s common “street
image” to bring Him down to our own level.
The intent is to present Him as more of a friend than a judgmental King.
You’ll hear some say that Jesus is their ‘‘homeboy.” But would any sane
person dare to address a judge, or a governor, or the president as “homeboy”? Not likely.
So how much greater and more deserving of respect is Jesus Christ than
any mere man?
Sorry people,
but Jesus Christ is not your “homie,” your “best bud,” or your “pal.” He sits on the throne at the right hand of
the Father in Heaven. He’s not your
“BFF” or your “bro.” He is grander than
that. He is holy. His name is above all other names (Philippians 2:9), He is Lord of
lords (Revelation 19:16), and He is the Resurrection and the Life (John
11:25). But the titles that even
churches use of Him today are irreverent, cheesy, and worldly, at best… and
crude and blasphemous, at worst. By the
use of these names His true nature is casually watered down and dishonored.
Using these
kinds of worldly titles makes Him “just one of us.” But don’t expect Him to greet you at the
pearly gates with a high-five, like teammates in a locker room. He’s not going to be “rappin’ with His
homies” or “throwing signs” with you in Heaven.
Why are we
being so “intolerant” and making such a big deal of this? Because the apostle John, one of the closest
friends of Jesus, tells what happened when he saw Jesus in His glory:
“And when I saw Him, I
fell at His feet as a dead man…” (Revelation 1:17)
Think about
that. Let it sink in. This is the same John who traveled, lived,
and ate with Jesus every day for at least three years; but when he saw a vision
of Him in His glorified form, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move, nor could he
do anything else. He was utterly
stunned. He was overwhelmed by His
majesty. John was never to view his
friend, Jesus, in any “common” way again.
Yes, He is approachable, but we must be careful how we approach the King of kings.
So, is this “common,”
“hipster,” “cool daddy-o” Jesus in the modern church another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4)? It certainly is not the One we find in
Scripture.
It’s
acceptable to call Him your friend (John 15:14), but He is not your “homeboy.” He is Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between
God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), but He is not
your “best bud,” or your “pal,” and He is not to be called “dude” or “J.C.” He is the Creator of the universe, the First
and the Last, but He is not your
“boyfriend” (there is actually a “Christian” song titled, “Jesus is my boyfriend”).
If you think
that you can address Him so flippantly when you meet Him face to face, you just
may be shocked to find out that you DIDN’T know Him after all (Matthew
7:21-23), and that you’ve been serving the wrong “Jesus.” God help the church to use discernment.
