My son asked me the other day “Dad, if you could meet one famous person, who would it be?” Not wanting to give the typical answer, I thought long and hard…and I answered as honestly as I could. I said “Buddy, I think I’ve met everyone I care to meet?” He couldn’t believe it and asked me why I felt that way. My response was that at this point in my life, it really doesn’t do anything for me to meet people who have no interest in investing in my life, or more importantly, my family’s lives. Let’s just be honest, meeting someone famous is a one-way street, they don’t really care about me or my world.
It brings me to think about celebrities…Have you ever sat and wondered why celebrities exist? Maybe I’m just weird, but it’s just so fascinating to me that with all the craziness of our own lives, we focus on the details of people we don’t even know and who don’t care about us. Why? I mean, I guess it makes sense if they are leader, like a President, a King, or someone that has an impact on our life. But, an entertainer or an athlete whom we don’t even know personally? It’s really amazing that we can consume our thoughts with other people, called celebrities. Well, before I go too far down that track, I want to bring back to the most famous person that ever lived. His name is Jesus.
In Matthew and Luke when the coming of Jesus Christ was announced to Mary and Joseph, his entrance begins with a listing of his pedigree to be the Messiah, both from Mary’s lineage to the unique way in which Joseph’s line places him in a right position as King. Further, this man, truly God and truly man, would change the world with His claims, His ministry, and His redemptive work. Regardless of your belief in Him, Christ set the world upside down. His celebrity is unmatched and entire areas of study are focused on Him, called Christology. His name is known worldwide and thus, people are forced to do something with Him. Christ is a polarizing figure, for He claimed to be God. That is not easily dismissible, nor is it inconsequential. As I’ve said before, to make such a claim, a person has to be either a liar, lunatic, or indeed Lord…as CS Lewis pointed out. So, the question today, is who is Jesus Christ to you? Have you met Him? He is a celebrity who really DOES care about YOU! The most famous man of all time wants to know you…will you meet Him today? He stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
