Some years ago there was a popular TV program, 'To Tell the Truth,' which featured four contestants who participated in a game of deception with a live audience. One of the group was the real person and the other three were impostors who pretended to be the real person. Each contestant was given the opportunity to tell about himself and convince the audience of his authenticity. Finally, the audience would choose which one they thought was the real person. It is surprising how often the audience was deceived and made the wrong choice. Often the deceivers appeared more authentic than the real person. We are in the same danger of being fooled by our senses or through the manipulation of reality by some clever performance.
At the time of the 200 th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the school where I taught presented a historical pageant to commemorate the event. One of the scenes was the Lincoln Memorial with fluted columns and a chair on a raised platform on which sat an impersonation of Abraham Lincoln. The person we chose to be Lincoln was a tall, gangling, raw-boned fellow. He was dressed in white, was given a false beard, and his head, face, and hands were sprayed with white cosmetic paint. As he sat motionless on the platform, he appeared to be a good replica of Lincoln. In fact, it was so good that everyone in the audience thought he was a statue. At the end of the scene the emcee asked the real Mr. Lincoln to stand, and as he stood up a gasp was heard throughout the audience when they realized it was a real person.
Jesus is a popular figure today, but it is not the real Jesus. Jesus warns us that in the last days would come false prophets and even false messiahs claiming to be the Christ. We are cautioned not to be fooled, and not to follow after cunningly devised fables, nor follow religious leaders just because they are good preachers or appear to be filled with the Spirit. We should not be deceived by so called "faith healers" nor miracle workers. Many worship the babe of Bethlehem's manger; many think of Him as the buddy of "gospel" music; many worship the Jesus of romantic crooners; many worship Him as a liberal reformer or as the source of power and success. None of these is the real Jesus. He is not the one pictured on T-shirts or on bumper stickers, or extolled by social agendas and politicians. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords; He sits on the throne of glory surrounded by millions of adoring angels; He was the perfect man; He is "far above all principality, and power, and might" (Eph. 1:21). He is our high Priest; He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; He is the bright and morning star; He is our righteous and merciful Judge; He is the one and only Savior of mankind. Honor and glory are His forevermore. This is "the real Jesus."
