Would Jesus enjoy this movie?

Quick recap (Aaron here) → Jon and I are discussing this week the topic “engaging with secular media.” Today I write my opening statement.

I want you to imagine for a moment you sit down by yourself or with a friend/partner to watch a movie.

You are excited to watch the newest hit from Hollywood or whatever indie film you are interested in.

It's supposed to be a great film – an amazing plot, storyline, character development and cinematography. But there is one little catch. It's not the most “Christian” film. 

Frequent cussing, sex scenes, drugs, alcohol and gory violence.

But hey, you are an adult, so you sit down and watch it. And you enjoy it. I mean why not, right? It was a great film.

Now I want you to re-imagine this scene from the beginning but with one difference.

Jesus and the movie

This time, Jesus is sitting next to you watching this film. He’s watching the explicit sex scenes, the gory murder and cussing.

Let me ask you… do you think Jesus would enjoy this film?

If your answer to that is yes, well, you may need to re-evaluate your character assessment of our Lord and Saviour. 

Because the truth is, it is these very things that Jesus came to die for.  I don’t think Jesus would be entertained, I think he would be bawling his eyes out next to you at the depravity he is witnessing.

Look, don’t get me wrong.

It's not like I sit under a stone. I can enjoy good cinema/art, but I think we as a western culture have been so desensitized to what we see on screen or hear on podcasts etc., so detached from it, that we forget that we are just watching/listening to people act out sin.

It affects us

But it goes deeper than that. 

A few weeks ago in Aaron’s Ramblings I talked about how “our lives are no more than the sum of what we gave our attention to.”  What we watch, read, listen to – well it affects us. It affects us deeply.  Or as Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23a:

What we fill our eyes with, our heart with, our ears with – we want that to be life-giving, full of light, not darkness.

Quite frankly, it is ignorant to think that you can consume sinful media without it affecting you.

It will affect you, it's just a matter of how, and how much. 

The question we should be asking as Christians consuming secular media is not “where’s the line” but rather “where’s the light.”

In other words, God calls us to look upon, and think about what is good – that we may be transformed to be like Him.  

And I promise you –  when you do that – you will find much greater joy than anything this earth can give. 

Tomorrow you will hear Jon’s opening statement.

For now, be blessed.

Aaron,

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