Jesus is everywhere. And I don’t just mean literally. (Although, as the second member of the Trinity, Jesus is, in fact, everywhere.) I’m speaking metaphorically.
Think of pretty much every super hero movie: There’s a problem that humanity can’t fix and so a super-human needs to swoop in and save the day. A problem – sin – that needs a hero – Jesus – to save the day – redemption. It’s not just superhero movies. Most romantic comedies have “Jesus” characters. They used to always be the guy swooping in to save a damsel in distress, but now we are seeing more guys being saved by the “super woman”. Either way, though, someone is in need of saving.
Whatever the plot, the recognition that there is a problem that needs outside help points to the innate knowledge (or natural revelation) that we all have problems that we can’t solve (sin). Even the most God-hating writer, director, and actor portray this reality regularly, while even the most depraved producers, while denying God’s existence, make boatloads of money off this fact.
Today, I was thinking of how Mary Poppins is a “Jesus” character: She comes in to ‘save’ a family whose priorities have gotten all out of whack, and to whip into shape two children who are in desperate need of loving discipline. She comes down from “on high” to enter into the home of the Banks family and live with them. She teaches the children valuable lessons, through songs and stories and adventures. She doesn’t permit laziness or whining or disrespect, but she makes the lessons so fun that the children don’t even realize they’re being taught.
She also influences the parents, whose misguided notions of what they should be doing keep them from the most important job of all – parenting these two children. In the end, the lessons are learned, the family is united, and Mary Poppins returns to her home “on high”.
Granted, this isn’t an allegory, so some of the comparisons fall short. But you get the idea, right? This basic human understanding that we are sinners in need of a savior is right there, among the lovely songs and dancing penguins.
Consider the last film you watched or the last book you read – was there a “Jesus” character? Keep your eyes peeled, and 9 times out of 10, you’ll see Him. Humanity can’t help but long for a savior. And those whose lives revolve around creating stories and dreaming up new worlds see that, whether they mean to or not.
Friends, one way we can share our faith with those we love is to point this out. Even those who don’t know anything about the biblical Jesus know instinctively that there is much in the world that is wrong. They recognize a need for salvation from those wrongs. Our job is to lovingly point out that the problem with this world is sin, and the solution is Jesus.
So go watch a movie! Look for Jesus. Then grab a cup of coffee and connect the two.
