Concrete Jesus

Scripture: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

There is a singer/song writer by the name of Paul Thorne. I would not consider him a Christian lyricist by any means; but he is the son of a Pentecostal preacher and his music reflects his upbringing. He has a song about this statue of Jesus that he bought and put in his dad’s yard. It is an “800 Pound Jesus” made of concrete and rebar. It has some interesting observations in it.

I was thinking about how we as finite beings try to learn to worship an infinite God. We try to understand the very nature of God, but we are so imperfect that we really turn Him into this giant stone statue. Do we really see Him as a being that lives with us in our homes, or do we go out to worship this giant cold daunting statue? I realized that my worship is sometimes like that. Instead of relationship, I idolize the idea of this giant god, who is far from me and so much higher than me, that He doesn’t seem life-like. God help me.

Over my years as a Christian more and more I am realizing that God doesn’t just want us to honor and worship Him. It is the relationship that He desires most. Just like a parent longs for time spent with their child. Just like we love our children sitting down to eat dinner with us and having conversations and spending time, God so desires us to interact with Him on a personal level. Jesus tried to explain that to the Pharisees, but they were so ritualistic that they refused to see God as touchable being. The wanted to stand and worshiped this concrete god they had created in their own minds.

So in my twisted thoughts I pictured the dangers of this concrete Jesus. LOL! He is heavy and rough to touch. You can’t lay your head in his lap: it is dreadfully uncomfortable. He can’t be inside your home, because he is too large and heavy. The weight of this concrete ‘god’ would be so great that it would take a team to carry him home with you. God forbid if he were to fall over on top of you, he would crush you! And worst of all you couldn’t take him with you anywhere. You would have to reserve this giant god for special opportune visits.

I have worshiped this type of Jesus at different times in my life. I can see more clearly now that maybe it was when I didn’t want Him to be very intimate because He would surely see the “real” me. Or maybe it was when I didn’t make time for Him. Perhaps it was when other things were more important than our relationship. Could it be that accepting Christ is not enough to sustain us from idolized worship? It has not been for me. I have to continually remind myself that Jesus is meant to live in our hearts continually. We can’t put Him on a shelf or in a garden. He wants to be with us at all times in all circumstances. He is kind, humble in heart, gentle and loving, but his love is big enough to show us our deepest mistakes and sin. His word says his yoke is easy and his burden is light, he should not be or feel like a giant concrete statue.

Leslie Stephens
Winchester, TN

Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for being small enough to fit into my heart, yet big enough to overcome the world. Lord, forgive me for idolizing the idea of a giant God instead of desiring an intimate relationship with you as my Father. I want to truly know you. Amen.

Prayer Tip: You do not have to be in a special place to pray. Use shout out prayers to God all day long to bring Him more intimately into your life. Treat Him like He is right beside you no matter where you are.

June 9, 2008