One day, while walking with the disciples, Jesus asked a question for the ages: “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13, KJV)
The disciples noted that people believed Him to be a variety of people, including John the Baptist or one of the Old Testament prophets reborn. Jesus then asked them who the disciples said that He was.
Simon Peter quickly answered: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
What a powerful proclamation. Those words echo through the corridors of time itself, declaring Jesus to be the One He claimed to be: the Messiah, the one true God.
In the 2,000-plus years since Jesus walked on this earth, men have continued to argue over His identity, just as the people of His own day did.
However, Jesus is today maligned and slandered as never before. People who have never read the Bible and see nothing but negative media portrayals of Jesus no doubt believe Him to be an inconsequential character who may be the figment of man’s imagination.
This week on the Comedy Central series “South Park,” a characterized Jesus was part of a cartoon counsel in “Imaginationland,” along with truly fictional characters such as Popeye and Morpheus from “The Matrix.” The implied message: Jesus is a completely fabricated character.
The new album by Kid Rock, titled “Rock N Roll Jesus,” announces: “It’s all sex, drugs, rock n roll; A soul sensation that you can’t control … And I’m gonna save your soul if it’s really what you want me to do; Get on your knees; I’m your rock n roll Jesus.”
I mourn the fact that depictions of Jesus in the entertainment world are almost exclusively negative or hopelessly distorted. And I grieve for kids who know about Jesus only through shows like “South Park” or by listening to Kid Rock’s album or any number of other portrayals. They sadly know nothing of the fact that Jesus was crucified and rose again to save their souls.
What’s a Christian to do to reach out to such young people?
I believe we must become modern-day apostles and, like Peter, fearlessly declare to our nation and our world that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
I also believe that we can learn a valuable lesson from the Apostle Paul in how to accomplish this.
During Paul’s journeys, he visited cities that had fallen victim to idol worship and sexual immorality, similar to our present cities. But Paul did not shy away from the occurrences of his day. Rather, he understood the customs and ways of life, utilizing his own Jewish background, his comprehension of Greek culture and his Roman citizenship to communicate his dramatic conversion to Jesus Christ. He met people on their own levels – whether they were kings or common people – to convey to them the Gospel.
As Paul did not shy away from cultural issues, so too must we continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our own culture.
Therefore, if we hear a kid listening to Kid Rock’s album, we don’t need to harass him. We need to use the occasion as an entryway to talk about the Real Jesus, the One who can literally save his soul.
Yes, our culture is corrupt. But we can utilize it to express our faith in Christ.
“Whom do men say that I am?” was Jesus’ question to His followers.
“Who do you say that Jesus is when you have opportunities to represent Him?” is the question I ask of you.
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