It was the motivation behind the WWJD bracelets of the 1990's. It is the overarching ponderance of Christian ethics.It is one of the most difficult questions that every pastor must ask when preparing Sunday's sermon.This question: What if Jesus were here today?
I don't know that we can ever fully or accurately answer this question. We can guess based on the limited picture we have of Jesus' life in the scriptures, but even then I bet Jesus would surprise a few of us. Jesus' actions rarely met the expectations of the religious minds of His day.
I stumbled recently on The Journeys Project, an artistic representation of Jesus in modern contexts. The photographs are the work of Michael Belk, a world-renowned fashion photographer, and they display a surprising amount of depth. I want to share a few of them with you, but I encourage you to look through them all on the Journeys of the Messiah website.
A Step Away:Inspired by Matthew 19:17. "Jesus is God’s “line in the sand,” so to speak. Those who seek the light of His true nature and immortality will stand with Him. Those who prefer the darkness of the world’s lies will not. Although God wants and eternal relationship with everyone, He only makes the offer, we must make the choice."
The Second Mile: Inspired by Matthew 5:38-48, this image shows Jesus carrying the bag and rifle of a Nazi officer. "“Love your enemies as yourself. Pray for those who persecute you. Forgive people seventy times seven." Jesus reminds us that, just as God forgives us, we are expected to do the same for others."
Quandry: Inspired by the parable of the rich, young ruler, this image depicts a man talking to Jesus wearing designer clothes and standing next to a Ferrari. "He knew that, for the rich young ruler, his lifestyle—money, cars and beautiful women—had become a personal road block to what he really wanted, which was to follow Jesus into eternity. We examine our lives to see what holds us back from living the dream Jesus has for us."
Vacany: inspired, by Matthew 10:39, this picture features a neon sign fastened to the crux of the cross that reads "vacancy." It powerfully shows how "Jesus the man died on the cross. [But] Jesus, the Savior, lives."
Some of his images may not sit well with you while others may speak to your heart. What do you think of these images, both artistically and theologically? Take a look at the whole gallery and tell me your thoughts on this project.
Bill said:
These are wonderful. There is nothing sacred about the way artists may have rendered religious figures in the past.
Every generation and era needs to find ways to represent their beliefs, in ways that make sense in the context of time and place.
Posted: September 15, 2009
Dave said:
The images are very powerful, and connect very well to the temptations and issues we face today. Thanks for posting this!
Posted: September 18, 2009
Steve said:
All very good points, in my opinion. The vacancy sign gets a bit campy, but the temptations of the world and Nazi pictures play very well.
As to the latter, Christians have become known as the bigots and haters of society through the more extreme of our numbers. I will never understand the logic of screaming about God's hatred for a person while preaching His love and mercy. It is cognitive dissonance to what would seem a painful degree.
Posted: November 17, 2009
Barbara Bastien said:
This is a website for people who want to know about jesus if he were alive today.
Posted: January 18, 2010