“THAT’S A LOT OF JESUS!!!” This was the first line of the caption for a photo I recently encountered on Facebook. The photo was of a box full of tiny Jesus figurines. The stated plan for these “little Jesus’s” was, and I assume remains, to place them around Columbus, Indiana and wherever travels might take them in efforts to “share a ‘little Jesus’ wherever we go!” It’s a very clever idea and I absolutely love the desire to make Jesus known across our community and around the world.
In Acts 11:26, we find the first recorded use of the term Christian to denote those who were following the way of Jesus. There are many who believe the term was not meant as a compliment, but as an insult. Defined literally, the term means “Christ followers” or “those of the household of Christ.” It is said that Antioch, the city in which the term was coined, was famous for mockery. It is likely that the common understanding of the term amounted to something akin to “Little Christs.” In the first century, the term Christian wasn’t attached to a worldwide religion with unprecedented power. Instead, the term Christian alienated them from their Jewish heritage, removing them from the protection and privileges it provided.
What may well have been intended as a term of derision came to be the definitive label for followers of Jesus, and rightly so.
It’s interesting to me that within many forms of mockery there are often seeds of truth. Given time and experience, we often see that what was meant for evil God uses for our good (which is the norm for the God of the Bible – Genesis 50:20). What may well have been intended as a term of derision came to be the definitive label for followers of Jesus, and rightly so. Truly, is there a more accurate way to identify those who follow Jesus than “Little Christs?”
One of the intended effects of our salvation and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is that we would reflect who He is to the world. Romans 8:29 tells us, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Just as a younger sibling might follow their older siblings around and mimic their attitudes and actions, so too are we as Christians to follow Jesus and mimic His actions.
What the world really needs to see is not just Jesus figurines, but men and women whose attitudes and actions are so totally transformed by the power and presence of Christ that they can only be described as “Little Christs.”
I love the idea of spreading “a little Jesus” wherever we go. I think strategically placing some tiny Jesus figurines in places around our communities could cause some people to consider the real Jesus. But, I think the spreading of little Jesus’s around our communities should serve as a challenge to those that are called by His name, Christians. What the world really needs to see is not just Jesus figurines, but men and women whose attitudes and actions are so totally transformed by the power and presence of Christ that they can only be described as “Little Christs.”
May we reflect the words of Paul in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Everybody needs a little Jesus. Perhaps you may be the little Jesus someone experiences today. What people really need to see is the Jesus in you and me.
