Day 45: a King in Commoner’s Clothes

They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.” Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?” Mark 14:32–36 msg

At a recent dinner party with several good friends from church—many of whom are also big talkers and loud laughers like me—someone suggested that we go around the table and share our most embarrassing moments. We all had some pretty cringe-worthy, yet funny train wrecks with which to entertain our fellow diners. In the end, though, Scott Hamilton (who’s best known for being an Olympic gold medalist but his true claim to fame is marrying Tracie, one of the kindest, most compassionate women in the entire world who just so happens to be one of my closest friends!) took home the top prize.

Scott began his story with the dry statement, “Okay, first of all I’m a short, bald man who used to wear leotards, so there’s that!” I mean, you know a good story is coming when that’s the opening line. Then he went on to paint the scene. It was a sold-out ice show that took place in a huge arena not long after he’d won the Olympic gold medal in men’s figure skating at Sarajevo in 1984. Of course he was the star of the show, so his introduction rivaled that of a king; huge spotlights were illuminated, fog rolled across the floor of the rink, the music swelled to a crescendo, and then Scott came gliding into the light holding a dramatic pose and wearing a skin-tight Superman costume complete with billowing cape. He said the roar of the crowd was so loud it practically held him up during the first triple jump in his program so he couldn’t help thinking, Man, I am SO on tonight!

However, that packed-to-capacity, cheering-their-guts-out audience also generated a lot of heat. Whether it was simply the warmth of all those bodies, or the hot breaths they were letting out upon each scream and cheer, the heat caused a thin layer of water to form on top of the ice. Which, of course, threw the reigning men’s-world-figure-skating champion just a hair off balance as he launched into his next gravity-defying leap. Which, in turn, caused him to catch both toe picks on the landing. And because toe picks stuck in ice act like a hinge, Scott then belly-flopped unceremoniously to the ice with the resounding wet smack of a hooked fish being slapped on the bow of a bass boat just prior to being filleted by some happy angler! Adding insult to injury, when he gamely hopped up to finish the rest of the routine, he looked down to see the watery crash had left a large, very noticeable circular stain on his pants, leaving him looking less like Superman and more like a little boy who’d just wet his pants!

By the end of Scott’s hilariously re-enacted, self-effacing story, we were all laughing so hard we were in danger of having some wet-pants accidents of our own!

But then the conversation took a more serious turn, and we talked about how a hero who stumbles is so much more likable than one who appears infallible. Now please, please hear me: I. Do. Not. Believe. King. Jesus. Is. Anything. Less. Than. Perfect. Our Creator Redeemer is not flawed in any way. He didn’t ever stumble in the ways we do when it comes to sin. However, His agonizing prayer for relief in the garden of Gethsemane definitely makes Him seem more approachable. He may not have sinned, but Jesus knew what it was like for things to feel full of pressure, or even daunting. His ministry (and His cross!) tells us that He knows what it’s like to experience the ridicule of onlookers in moments of weakness. In fact, He chose to do this—to experience shame before the world and the Father—all for us! So we wouldn’t have to! Which makes him a Hero imminently worthy of worshiping, but also safe enough to scoot next to.

• Over and over again the Bible reveals that Jesus is both perfectly holy and perfectly accessible. Which facet of His character are you more comfortable with?
• How does it encourage you that Jesus has felt the shame of onlookers on your behalf?
• How does this change the way you might handle moments you fall in front of others?