Why I Love Jesus

July 30, 2007

Joe,

It dawned on me that since we went into the hospital on the day I preached about how the Cross reconciles us to God, I never posted about how the Michael Jordan video made me admire Jesus more. Here’s what I said in my message:

So what makes Jesus so great? How can I take 20 minutes to describe what Paul calls ‘the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ’? I think it is the mingling of transcendence and imminence that come together in Jesus that makes Him so beautiful in my eyes. By that I mean that Jesus is unfathomably big and great and above all and unlike anything we’ve ever seen. He is infinitely higher than us, beyond us, unattainable and unapproachable. But with that highly exalted splendor, He has come near to us and made Himself available so that we can have access to Him.

An illustration will help. When I worked for the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan came to the United Center for the first time since his retirement. Being an employee I had access to areas that even the media did not. They swarmed him, but could only go so far. I went through a hallway, and there he was, standing 10 feet away from me. I was in the presence of the greatest basketball player who has ever lived. I felt like a ten-year-old! He looked my way, and then got into an elevator with a couple of people, and he was gone. That was as close to greatness as I could get, and it lasted a fleeing moment.

That’s how it is with the people who this world esteems as great: athletes, entertainers, musicians, etc. You can’t get close to them. They have body guards and gates around their mansions and you can’t draw near to them. They’re so far away, unapproachable. I got a glimpse of Jordan, but it’s not like he invited me out to dinner or anything! But Jesus is ten billion times greater than all the ‘great’ people of the world put together. He dwells, according to 1 Timothy 6:16, in unapproachable light. But the greatness of Jesus is that though He is so highly above us, He does not keep us at a distance, but comes near and invites us to enjoy Him to our heart’s content.

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Random Musings, Seeking Him