Week 36 2013 Mr. Potato Head Jesus

“Mr. Potato Head is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of plastic parts that can attach to the main body. These parts usually include ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose, and a mouth. The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in 1949, and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television and has remained in production since its debut. The toy was originally produced as separate plastic parts with pushpins that could be stuck into a real potato or other vegetable. However, due to complaints regarding rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro began including a plastic potato body within the toy set.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Potato_Head)  This is an interesting bit of trivia about a child’s toy.  The allure of Mr. Potato Head is the ability to make him into what you want him to be.  How can we forget that wonderful line in Disney’s “Toy Story” where Mrs. Potato Head tells her husband to pack his angry eyes?  Mr. Potato Head can be made to look angry, sad, happy, amazed, or disguised to look like someone he isn’t, all with a simple change of a plastic piece.  It’s difficult to know who the real Mr. Potato Head is, and what his intentions are.  The truth lies hidden in the one who controls the pieces.

Unfortunately, many people “play” with Jesus in much the same manner as children play with Mr. Potato Head.  These take parts of Jesus to establish His identity while either changing some of the other parts or simply ignoring them.  Thus, the image people have of our God has changed over time.  God has never changed.  But, the way people see Him has changed, largely because of people treating Him like Mr. Potato Head.  The changes made often reflect the current culture with its ideals and mores.  For instance, when the culture was predominately led by monarchies, God was viewed as a king who controlled his kingdom with force.  His subjects were meant to be afraid of Him because of His wrath.  The concept of a personal relationship with this heavy-handed dictator was unheard of.  Those who fostered this perception would point to passages of scripture that demonstrated God’s terrible power and horrible judgment on people who wouldn’t submit to His leadership, much in the same way most monarchs dealt with people in their kingdom.  While the Bible does show us a part of God that metes out justice in a decisive manner, to limit his character this narrowly does injustice to Him.  It’s Mr. Potato Head with just his angry eyes.  The kind, benevolent, gentle eyes have been discarded.  Jesus is only seen with the whip in His hands driving the money changers from the temple.

Our culture today is much more enlightened.  In America we have rejected the concept of the monarchy with its dictator looking for obeisance from his subjects.  Punishment has been changed to rehabilitation.  Jesus is now viewed as our brother.  We are able to have a strong personal relationship with Him.  He is the friend of sinners, forgiving those who have committed grievous acts.  God is pictured as a tolerant, benevolent, father.  He has lost His angry eyes.  Many are questioning the reality of Hell and the final judgment.  These read where Jesus forgives the prostitute, but fail to see where He admonishes her to sin no more.  Our Mr. Potato Head Jesus looks upon the sinner with tolerance, not rebuking them for the sin in their lives, because that might alienate them.  Rather than convict them of their sinful way of life, Mr. Potato Head Jesus loves and accepts them without requiring repentance.

The truth is that Jesus is not Mr. Potato Head.  He does not come with interchangeable parts.  He is the same as He always has been.  He is a monarch who will mete out judgment, condemning some to Hell, while rewarding others with eternal life in Heaven.  He does seek out a personal relationship with each one of us, not wanting any to perish.  He does forgive, restore, and cleanse.  However, He also requires repentance.  The good news is that He also gives us the tools and strength to repent and overcome.  He realizes that those who refuse to repent will be lost.  Therefore, with amazing love and grace, He encourages the sinful to turn from their sinful lifestyle to a life in Him where overcoming sin is not only possible, but probable.  He never accepts someone who refuses to repent!  Tolerance ends where sin begins.  Mr. Potato Head is a fun toy.  Jesus is so much more.  Regardless of what our culture calls right or wrong, Jesus is the final authority.  If you want to really see how much He goes against current thought and cultural mores, engage in a close reading of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew five through seven.