It’s not what you do that defines you – it’s the company you keep.
My brother Jay and I went to see “Batman Begins” the other night. (Sorry for using your real name, Jay!) If you haven’t seen it, I can tell you that Batman dies in the end. Just kidding! (Think about it: how could he die in the segment that “Begins” the series?) I thought it was the best of the “Batman” movies, if you’re into them and think that my opinion has any credibility whatsoever.
Jay and I settled into the comfortable, semi-reclining, stadium-style seats at the Georgian 14 Theater. Jay was sure to put down the armrest between us since I mentioned that I might want to snuggle with him if the movie got too scary. I was kidding, but I guess you can never be too sure. We had a while before the movie began, so we had plenty of time to talk, which, to be honest, was better than seeing the movie (and I already said how much I liked the movie).
Soon the lights dimmed and the commercials started to run. If anyone has any influence with any movie executives, would you please ask them to stop putting commercials at the beginning of the movies? I can tolerate previews, although they are getting out of hand, too. But the reason that I’m willing to pay the exorbitant amounts that theaters charge these days is A) because some movies are just better on the big screen and B) no commercials. If I want commercials I can stay at home and watch the cable television that I am also paying for.
The movie started and it was great. A lot of action, great story line, awesome cast (including Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman, some of my favorites), and incredible special effects. I really enjoyed it!
Now, I don’t go to the movies expecting to have God show up. I’m sure that he has much better things to do than watch “Batman”. But he did show up to remind me that he can be anywhere he wants to be, and also to remind me that he is being pushed out of a lot of places, too.
As the dashing Bruce Wayne, handsome, billionaire alter-ego of Batman, is out on the town trying to create the impression that he is just a happy-go-lucky player (or “playa”, in the post-Gen X, hip-hop vernacular), he happens to run into his childhood friend and source of sexual tension throughout the movie. Rachel Dawes, the beautiful and too-young-to-be-an-assistant-district-attorney friend from childhood, is as surprised as Bruce. (Why is it that all movie assistant DA’s are beautiful young women? Why not some geeky guy? And why don’t any of them appear later as crotchety old women DA’s in their 60’s or 70’s with chips on their shoulders? But I digress…) Bruce stumbles around trying to explain why he has two even more beautiful model-types trying to squeeze into the passenger seat of his Lamborghini, fails miserably, and finally turns serious.
“All of this… This is not who I am. I am much more underneath,” Bruce says as he looks intently at Rachel, obviously trying to convey his seriousness. Rachel surprises him with her reply.
“It is not who you are underneath. It is what you do that defines you.”
That’s how God reminded me that he was there. He reminded me that the world, including “Batman Begins”, scoffs at the message of Jesus Christ. Just as the Pharisees watched Jesus, the people around us look at what we do to figure out who we are underneath. Jesus spent his time with the people who both needed him and wanted him, like prostitutes, tax collectors, poor people, lepers, crazy people, and cripples. He didn’t spend his time with the rich and the powerful, or even with the successful religious men of his day. He didn’t have or own much. He depended on the generosity and scrounging skills of his followers to even have clothes to wear, food to eat, and a place to sleep.
When we finally break down and say, “Okay Jesus, I finally get it. I finally understand that I need you a heck of a lot more than you need me. I will stop trying to do and start trying to be.” – that’s when we get it. That’s when we understand that having a relationship with Jesus trumps any list of accomplishments that we might be able to produce. We even do it in the church. One of the steps required in becoming a United Methodist local pastor is proving to the district board that you are worthy. On the application form you are expected to not only prove that you really were called into ministry by God hisownself, you are also expected to list all of your leadership roles and accomplishments in your local church that qualify you to be a pastor. I wonder what would happen if I had listed one accomplishment: “Jesus is my friend.”
Some of you are tired of me climbing up on this soapbox, but I am compelled to repeat myself. There is nothing that you can do to earn Jesus’ love and, ultimately, your salvation. You can go to church every week, serve in lay leadership positions, sing all the songs, study and understand the nuances of the Bible (even Leviticus!), stop drinking and cussing, and do all the things that organized religion and society expect of you when you call yourself a Christian. But until you reach out and take Jesus’ hand, understanding that you can’t earn his gift of love or even be good enough to deserve it, you will just be a blivot. (One of the books that I loved as a teenager was “M*A*S*H”. Hawkeye Pierce, the main character, once explained that someone who is a “blivot” is 200 pounds of manure stuffed in a 100-pound sack. The Pharisees and Sadducees were blivots, too.)
During the afternoon and evening that I spent with Jay he kept being very concerned that I get home “on time”. “On time” meant that I would have enough time to work on the projects around the house that he knew I had started and never finished. I reassured him that what was important to me was to spend the time with him – the projects would get finished another day. Or never.
Jesus feels the same way about you. He wants to spend time with you getting to know you better. He is much more interested in what is going on in your life than what you think you can do for him. He’s not worried about getting anywhere on time – he has all the time in the world to spend with you. He knows that the deeper your relationship becomes, the more you will want to do on his behalf. But he also knows that he doesn’t need you to do anything – he wants you to love him and be his friend.
I would disagree with Rachel Dawes. I would say that it’s not what you do that defines you – it’s the company you keep.
Finally! Understand and learn from the New Testament Book of Revelation.
This is not a commentary. It is only a new translation that is organized into a modified diagram for easier understanding.
Now there is a Bible translation th
Revelation: The Easy Study Bible Commentary
Not for scholars but for anyone who struggles to understand the New Testament!
The Easy Study Bible Commentary takes The Easy Study Bible Diagramed and examines, describes and expounds upo
All the prophetic pieces are assembling before our eyes. It is time to prepare for Earth's final hour. There is hope for the future as you see that Day approaching.
