I'd Like to Introduce You to Someone....

I previously wrote about my thoughts on the book Imaginary Jesus here. And then the author, Matt Mikalatos, actually commented on my blog. So, I already decided that I liked him. Well, Matt was the main speaker at Big Break this year - the Campus Crusade spring break mission trip in Panama City Beach, FL. This was the first time I heard him speak, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did our students. He is humorous, yet directs you back to Scripture - 2 traits that aren't often found together in my experience.

But I didn't write this to introduce you to Matt Mikalatos. I wrote this to introduce you to my own "imaginary Jesus." We all have them - the Jesus we've created in our minds and in our image as humans, rather than the Jesus of Scripture. So, let me introduce you to mine...

Neat & Tidy Jesus

I was introduced to Neat & Tidy Jesus at the age of 6 during summer vacation. He was at a local church’s VBS (Vacation Bible School) event and the church members really liked to introduce him to others. Being a child, I was eager to meet Jesus and believed everything the grown-ups told me about Neat & Tidy Jesus.

Neat & Tidy Jesus was very concerned with the dress code. He was the reason the pastor of the church said little girls couldn’t wear shorts to the VBS events. Neat & Tidy Jesus liked little girls who wore dresses. He was also of the opinion that one’s Bible should remain pristine – no writing on it or in it. How did I learn this? My VBS teachers gave me a little white New Testament. I loved Jesus and I loved to read and I was excited to get this gift. The first thing I did was write my name on the front and draw a heart so everyone would know it was mine and I loved it. This was not okay! I got in trouble for writing on the Bible. Neat & Tidy Jesus did not like for a child to express their love for the Bible this way. He was very concerned with how things appeared on the outside – neat, tidy, living up to expectations.

Almost 20 years later, my life was changed when Neat & Tidy Jesus was confronted with the real Jesus. I think that Neat & Tidy Jesus was taken by complete surprise because he and I had gotten along so well for so many years. But real Jesus showed up and all that changed.

Real Jesus showed me how He spent time with prostitutes during His time on earth as a man. He had deep conversations with the outcasts of society, who didn’t look neat & tidy at all, yet He never told them to change their clothes so He could spend time with them. And real Jesus is creative – He is the Creator! He likes it when we are creative and when we show Him our love in creative ways – even drawing a heart on our Bible.

Neat & Tidy Jesus wants everything to look ‘just so’ on the outside, but he’s not concerned with what’s going on at the heart level. Real Jesus cares deeply about the heart and can see through all of the façade that we put up to make things look acceptable. He engages the heart and offers freedom from trying to live a neat and tidy life. Freedom to be authentic, yet fully loved and accepted.

Neat & Tidy Jesus still rears his ugly, judgmental head (we spent a lot of time together over those 20 years), but I hope that Real Jesus becomes more and more of a reality to me as life progresses.

What's your "imaginary Jesus" like?