that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:10,11
There are some things in this life that require an immediate response. It’s just something about certain events or people that make us just have to jump up and instantly do something. There’s no thought about it, we just move.
We see this all the time in sporting events. A play is made, or not made, and people jump up to shout joy or moan with great sadness. A game-winning score is made, and the place goes ballistic.
And there are times that we jump up before it happens. We know that something really important is about to take place, so we leap up ahead of time. It’s the anticipation that drives us to do this in advance.
Or when we meet certain people, we instinctively jump up. They could be some world-famous person that everyone knows, and everyone stands up when they come in. Or, it could just be someone you personally admire, someone who’s had a big impact on your life.
Outside of the military, standing for someone is not really all that structured. There’s not a lot of rules on who you stand for. But in the military, there are very specific rules. And one of those rules is standing at attention for Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
In the “Code of Silence”[1] episode of NCIS, Charles Durning’s character received a Medal of Honor for bravery in World War II. When three soldiers come to arrest him, a friend moves his tie to the side, showing his medal. All three soldiers look at it and immediately snap to attention. The two military police offices instantly raise a salute.
Why did they stand at attention and salute? Because of who they were standing in front of. It was who they were in comparison to who they were in front of. They immediately saw the difference and they just had to respond.
That’s a little picture of who Jesus is in comparison to everyone who ever lived on this little blue ball spinning in space. We will all bow before Jesus[2]. People that accepted Jesus will bow, and so will people that rejected him. We’re all destined to bow before him. When we see him exactly for who he is, there won’t be any need to think about what to do. We’ll immediately respond and bow.
Now that’s at the end of time. But there’s a lot of bowing to Jesus going on today. And there’s lot’s and lots of different Jesus’ available for us to choose from today. Which Jesus are we bowing to? Which Jesus are you bowing to?
The Jesus in the movies?
The Jesus on the internet or cable TV?
The Jesus talked about over coffee at work?
The Jesus poked fun at by comedians?
You see, they’re lots of different Jesus’ running around the landscape. They’re all over the place. They’re performing and appearing everywhere you go. They’re available 24/7/365 on your cell phone. But this is nothing new.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:4
Please don’t miss those last few words, “you put up with it easily enough.” That was true more than 2000 years ago, and it’s equally true today. We put up with “another” Jesus. Many false Jesus’. We let people proclaim a bogus Jesus. And what do we do?
Do we beat them over the head with a verbal stick?
Do we violently turn them off, turning away from their friendship?
Do we make fun of them, putting them down as people?
Do we gently and graciously ask why they believe what they do?
Do we with respect share our faith and how Jesus has changed everything?
Do we prepare and pray for when we meet new people?
Are we willing to stand for the historical Jesus?
Will we stay on Jesus’ side, even if it means ridicule?
Yes, it’s time to stop “putting up” with all the false Jesus’ all around us. But we need to do it in the same way that God did it. He didn’t just throw us away, he was patient and kind. He was willing to ignore the smaller things and focus on the one, big, important thing – Jesus.
It’s time to fully rely on the God of the universe and his salvation. And it’s equally time to treat people that disagree with us with the same level of love that God treated us with. And to keep treating them that way, no matter the response.
Noodling Questions
What are some things that get our immediate attention and response?
What things are we willing to let slide? Why?
How careful are we at keeping false teaching and teachers out? Why?
[2] Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11