The official name for the 62-foot-high statue was “King of Kings”. Folks who passed by the Solid Rock Church on I-75, just north of Cincinnati, had an irreverent label for it: “Touchdown Jesus”. The original thought was for Jesus to be appealing to His Father in heaven for help. Others saw the outstretched arms as reaching for a pass headed His way.
All had the same view of this religious statue on the night of June 14, 2010. Lightning struck the image, setting it ablaze. The loss was total, calculated at $300,000 for the statue and another $400,000 for the amphitheater built around it. Church leaders vow to rebuild.
The story, of course, has the nation atwitter. It seems every major news outlet has carried some version of the story, and Twitter has been churning out comments like these: “Score one for Darwinists, who must be having a giggle”; “I am still cracking up about Touchdown Jesus being destroyed by an … act of god”; “God Votes with Lightning and Touchdown Jesus Burns”; and – you had to expect this one – “Holy Smoke!”
There does seem to be a touch of irony in this news story. It is not uncommon for people to destroy religious icons. A recent example occurred in 2001 when members of the Taliban dynamited two monumental Buddhas that had been carved into the sandstone cliffs of Afghanistan in the 6th century. The destruction of the “King of Kings” statue, however, was a natural act. Many do indeed view the incident as an act of God.
Whether or not God sent the lightning to destroy this statue is not our question. We do see, however, warnings in the Bible against placing trust in visible objects instead of in God.
The second of the ten commandments was clear: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). Even while God was giving this command to Moses on Mt. Sinai the people of Israel were fashioning a gold calf to worship (Genesis 32). God was outraged, and always has been when people venerate physical objects.
Instead of spending precious resources on material icons, wouldn’t it be wiser to focus on faith – that which can’t be seen with our eyes? Paul obviously thought so: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The New Testament never encouraged anyone to fashion images to lead people to God. It does urge us to develop our faith through the revelation God has given us (Romans 10:17).
Gazing upon religious relics pleases many. But what will please God – the One we really need to please? “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Since faith comes by hearing God’s word, pleasing God means doing the things God has commanded. Nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t regard the news of a statue being destroyed by lightning as funny. But perhaps this is an opportunity to reflect on what the Lord really expects of us.
–Timothy D. Hall