It’s long been wondered, what would Jesus do for an encore? He already gave His life for us once, then went on to heal the blind, turn water into wine and created the technology for an Ipad. As if all that wasn’t enough like only Jesus can, He totally outdid Himself this time and died for us…Again.
Dying on the cross had to be tremendously painful, but I can’t imagine the torture of being engulfed in flames. Which is exactly what happened when the ‘Touchdown Jesus’ of the Solid Rock Church on I-75 burnt to the ground as Mother Nature flaunted her authority by striking Him down with a bolt of lightening. No matter your rank in life, Mother can still always knock you down to size.
Built in 2004, the structure also known as ‘Butter Jesus’ was meant as a glorious symbol of the church but was widely criticized by the public. I never heard anyone sing or even speak of its praises and comedian Heywood Banks even wrote a song about it. It became a joke more than anything else.
People questioned the decision to spend more than $400,000 on a piece of self promotion rather than truly doing the Lord’s work and helping others with the money. The funds used could have gone a long way towards feeding the hungry or supporting a variety of other charities. It was viewed by many as self serving rather than representing the intended true meaning of the church which is to help others.
Some theorists believe that its destruction was a sign of God’s disapproval, seeing it as the worship of a false idol. My only question then is, why did He wait so long? Granted that God doesn’t always act fast as I’m still waiting for an answer to my prayer for a million dollars and a beautiful wife. However, if it is an act of God, can it be claimed as so for insurance purposes?
And if a lightening is God’s tool for punishment I think I better stay inside the next time a big storm comes.
Others see the incident as a sign that the end of time is coming. I would hate to think that a landmark used to give directions to Traders World would serve as a sign of the rapture.
The big question is, will Jesus rise again? I learned a long time ago to never discount His potential. After a cruel baptism by fire He may want to come back even bigger and better than before. If anyone can it’s Jesus, as He never ceases to amaze us.
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