What Do You Think of Jesus?

Last updated on: March 26, 2019 at 3:06 am by Matt Pearson

What Do You Think of Jesus? 2019-03-26T03:06:42-05:00 Matt Pearson

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Recently, I had the opportunity to take my two sons and two of their friends to see the movieÂ Run the Race. My favorite scene was (donâ€™t worry. . . this is not a spoiler) when the main character was invited to dinner at his new girlfriendâ€™s home. The two of them shared a meal with her parents. Before the meal began, the girlâ€™s father asked the high school senior two questions:

â€œWhat do you think of my daughter?â€

AND

â€œWhat do you think of Jesus?â€

I mean, whoa. What incredible questions to ask a high school boy! (Or any age boy for that matter, who wants to date a girl!)

These questions have haunted/challenged/encouraged me ever since I viewed that scene in the movie.

How?

First, I didnâ€™t like how the conversation went on the way home. I asked the four boys in the car ride afterward how they would have answered the girlâ€™s father. Their answers scared me. Total Sunday School replies. No richness. No realness. No evidence of an ongoing relationship with Jesus. Total â€œpreacherâ€™s kidâ€ answers.

Second, I so want my boys to think respectfully about women. I want a dad to ask what they think about his daughter and I want them to reply with an authentic answer of respect and care and delicate intentions. I want them to want to date a girl who has a father that asks these kinds of questions. I want my boys to learn the discipline of how true relationships involve commitment and consequences. I want them to respect the person, not just pleasure.

Third, I want them to have a good answer to the Jesus question. I donâ€™t want just a doctrinally correct answer. I donâ€™t want an answer that communicates just what the inquiring father wants to hear. I donâ€™t want a â€œIâ€™m a good, moral, law-abiding citizenâ€ answer. I want an answer that reveals Jesus is real to them, speaks to them, and lovingly demands their obedience. In other words, I want their to be evidence that they really do follow a living, loving, resurrected Lord.

Before we arrived home after the movie, my boys asked me if I was going to do that with Birti and her dates. I said I certainly hope so. I also said I hope they date girls whose fatherâ€™s do it to/for them. They didnâ€™t like that, but I hope itâ€™s true. In fact, I pray they desire to date girls with fatherâ€™s like this. Would you join me in praying this for my sons?

By the way, what do YOU think of Jesus?

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