The Weight of Bearing the Name
by Andy Perry

As my English teacher, Cindy O’Neil used to say, “Choices have consequences.” Last night my son came face to face with that reality. I was seated in our living room, waiting for him to bring down a book so we could read together. Instead, I saw him slowly making his way down the stairs with his arms around a fan. “Dad, we can plug this in downstairs,” he declared. But it was a cool night and I knew he wasn’t hot. When I asked him why he was bringing the fan down, he gave me no good reason. He just wanted to do it . “ Carson, please take the fan back upstairs. That’s where it belongs.” By this time he was halfway down. Turning around and surveying the stairs above him he declared, “But now I’m too tired to take it back up!” Nevertheless, it was time for him to learn that choices have consequences . “You decided to bring it down for no reason. You need to take it back upstairs.” Carson found it a lot harder moving upstairs with the fan than coming down, but he did it. He felt the weight of something he’d chosen to bear.

Back in January 2004, actor Mel Gibson surprised much of the world by choosing to bear the name Jesus Christ as the director of the film “The Passion of the Christ.” Gibson is a traditional Roman Catholic who believes that salvation is found only in the Roman Church. Given such erroneous doctrine, I do not consider him a biblical Christian. Nevertheless, two years ago he became one of the most vocal promoters of Jesus Christ in the world. He chose to bear the Name. But the Name has weight, and when one stumbles under that weight and falls, it not only bruises the bearer but the Name.

For much of August the news has been abuzz with the story of Mel Gibson’s July 28th driving under the influence arrest near his home in Malibu, California. Police stopped him for speeding, tested him for drunkenness and arrested him for exceeding the legal blood-alcohol level and for operating a motor vehicle with an open bottle of tequila riding shot-gun. According to reports, though, much more occurred. In the midst of questioning, Gibson allegedly went into a profanity-laced tirade, hurling anti-Semitic and sexist statements at authorities. Not only is such news shocking, it is sadly ironic in view of the fact that Gibson has become a vocal promoter of the most famous Jew in history.

The day after his arrest, Mel Gibson owned up to his wrong-doing. “I’ve battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse,” he said. “I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said.” Good for him for taking responsibility. There but for the grace of God go we all. Not just Gibson’s but all of our lives testify to James 3:2 that says, “We all stumble in many ways….” For us who love Jesus, there is grace, there is forgiveness, there is hope. Nevertheless, the stones of sin our lives cast into the pool of the world leave ripples—especially for those of us who have chosen to bear the Name of Christ. To many Gibson has forever lost his credibility to publicly represent Christ again. Choices have consequences.

My ultimate concern is not with Mel Gibson. But he does stand as an illustrative warning to those of us who are true Christ-followers. Yes, we will all sin in many ways in the coming days. Yes, I John 1:8 & 10 make that clear. And, yes, there is grace, I John 1:9 makes that clear. But there is also a high cost to following— to bearing the Name. As Christians each one of us constantly wears a marquee declaring, “My life represents Jesus to the world.” Therefore, what do we need to keep front and center in our minds, hearts and lives to represent Him well and draw others to the Cross? Consider the following:

Proverbs 25:28 “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.…”

I Peter 2:11-12 “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the Day He visits us.”

If we’re Christians then our lives matter. We’ve chosen to follow the Master. We’ve chosen to bear His Name. We’re His people—no longer our own. Choices have consequences.