I am sure most who read this will think the title a little strange. I have to admit, I employed an advertising device called a ‘hook’. Something to catch the eye and peak the interest. Guilty as charged.
But the truth is, I was born in the TV generation. Hard to believe but there were still radio shows and dramas on when I was young. My mother, when she was home, loved a show called the “Breakfast Club” hosted by Don McNeil. I remember listening to it on Chicago’s WGN’s radio station in the mornings as a kid. And there were still night time dramas on such as, “Johnny Dollar”. But nothing captured my attention more than the clunky box with the 17” screen, our black and white television set.
It held the predominant spot in our front room and when I was off school in the afternoon, I remember sitting on the floor in front of it watching everything from the Lone Ranger to a kid’s show called Garfield Goose. But by far my favorites were slap stick comedies such as the Three Stooges. For some of you who have never seen their ‘idiocy’ here is a brief description. Starting as a vaudeville act, in the late 1930’s they were hired by Columbia Studios to do what were called ‘shorts’ which were shown before or between feature films. Made up, in their original form, of two Howard brothers, Moe and Curly along with Larry Fine, each episode was filled with slaps, nose pinches and downright violence. And as a kid I found them hilarious. Hours were filled watching them or others of that time era: Abbott and Castello, W.C. Fields, and the Keystone Cops. Even as a youth I found the absurdity of what they did was what I would laugh at. I knew none of it was ‘real’.
But here is the kicker. Even though I knew what I was watching was totally fake, it had an affect on my behavior none the less.
The more I watched aggressive programming the more aggressive I became. No, I never tried to hit any of my friends or enemies in the head with ball peen hammers but being a natural mimic, I did act out in ways that gained me a reputation as ‘trouble maker’. The problem was there was no balance in my life. No spiritual input to offset any of the ‘garbage’ I was ingesting.
Ok, so what is my point? I guess it is pretty simple. We are what we see, what we watch, what we daily ingest from all the media around us. You know, I can go on YouTube and watch almost every short the Three Stooges ever made. I could fill my whole day with ‘binges’ of every show produced by man since the founding of the television industry on Netflix. I can watch every ‘reality’ show series from beginning to end absorbing every unreality they throw out. Let alone news media and every kind of talk show or opinion. The world is available at the touch of the screen or the flick of the remote. But there is another option.
There was a time when Jesus Himself had a decision to make. A time when the whole world was offered to Him. Let’s take a look. In the gospel of Matthew, we find the account called: Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness, Chapter 4:1-11. We are told that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, after being baptized by John, to be tempted. Jesus put himself in a position where he knew he would be vulnerable. Forty days he fasted. Stating the obvious, he was hungry. Then the gospel says the tempter, Satan, comes after him in his weaken state. Three times he is tempted. But for this blog, I just want to look at the third temptation. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All of this I will give you”, he said, “if you just fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9) And I believe the lesson I need for today and maybe you do too is in the answer Jesus gives, “Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan. For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. (Matthew 4:10)
There are a couple of things in his answer that may help everyone of us in our day to day walk if it is our goal to grow closer to Jesus daily. First, it is plain Jesus knew that whatever ‘reality’ Satan offered, no matter how pleasing it sounded, those promises were not ‘real’, they were not true. We have that same choice every day. Bombarded by media trying to capture us. Offering us the world. Can we see what is real and what is not? Our only hope comes in how Jesus answers Satan. He quotes from the Word of God. His connection with his Father is so strong because he had ingested and absorbed the Word. He knows you cannot serve two masters. Quoting from Deuteronomy 6: 13-14, Jesus makes Satan flee.
So again, I say it is simple. We are what we ingest. I was what I ingested as a kid. You and your children are what you absorb through media. No, I am not saying all media is bad. But if today you find yourself placing anything “…before the Lord your God”, maybe you should take another look at where it is leading you to. As a former Three Stooges addict, I know where it led me. So today I am spending quality time in the Word, shutting out the world. Making the ‘Jesus’ choice, why not join me.
Blessings John
2/28/18
