Paul Dietzel — Jesus the
Man
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
We have had enough of the emaciated Christ, the pale, anemic, namby-pamby Jesus.
Jesus of Nazareth was no physical weakling. He couldn't have been and lived the life recorded in the Gospels. Most of His earthly life He was a carpenter, working with His hands in the days before power tools.
Consider too that everywhere Jesus went, He walked. He walked up mountains, over deserts and beside the sea. He walked from the northernmost point in Palestine to the Holy City itself. Most athletes know there's no exercise on earth that does more for over-all conditioning.
In spite of some artists' conceptions of Jesus, I do not believe He was feeble and feminine in appearance. Nobody like that could have walked through a "lynching mob" without a hand touching him or thrown over
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the tables of the money-changers in the temple without suffering immediate reprisal.
When He was finally captured by His enemies, He was kept up all night undergoing questioning. Then He was tortured by the Romans. A crown of thorns was pressed down over His head. He was made to carry His own cross to the place of execution. Although He staggered under the weight of the burden and was aided, He endured without a murmur the driving of spikes into His hands and feet. And He hung for six hours in awful agony without a whimper. His first words from the cross were, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
I submit that Jesus of Nazareth was a strong, healthy, manly-appearing person whose body was firm muscled by honest toil and rigorous discipline. And I believe He expects each one of His followers to live healthy, disciplined lives to the limits of individual capability.
A Bible verse that is much misunderstood is Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Although we have come to think of another meaning for the word "meek," it is actually derived from the Greek word which means "harnessed, well-trained, disciplined."
We don't have to be athletes to live like this. The frailest body is a marvelous creation composed of countless thousands of joints and organs acting and interacting to sustain life. And this whole complex miracle, the body, is controlled by the mind.
Or should be.
Unfortunately, today there is a kind of conduct finding acceptance among young people that is labeled "modern." To "live modern," young people are urged to smoke, drink and abuse their bodies promiscuously.
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The only "reason" advanced for this type of conduct is that others are doing the same things. Sometimes "big names" in the athletic world are paid to endorse cigarettes, tobacco and other products in order to add impetus to this "me-too" movement. Promoters of these "modern" habits hint that people who do not indulge themselves are "blue noses," "squares" and "sissies."
And, of course, they are dead wrong.
As Christians, we can set them straight as we live "harnessed, well-trained, disciplined" lives for Christ. Only then will the obvious benefits of the Christian life appear.
All of us — athletes or not — can live like this. It means nonconformance to the "world." It means a transformation of the mind. And it leads each of us to the discovery of "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
To the society in which we live, it soon appears that what we are actually doing is "presenting our bodies" to God, keeping in top shape for His service. In this way, every Christian's life becomes an advertisement for Christ.
Determine today to live the vigorous, disciplined life of a real disciple
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the example of courage and discipline set for us by Your Son, Jesus. We are unable to live like that in our own strength. But we believe that as we surrender our wills to You, we may be empowered to lead humble, trained, disciplined lives, "harnessed" to Your purposes and subject to Your pleasure. We ask that it may be so in Jesus' name. Amen.
Paul Dietzel was an outstanding lineman for Miami University of Ohio, "1958 Coach of the Year" at Louisiana State University; head football coach at the United States Military Academy. Board of Directors, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
