I recently looked up the definition of the term ‘Jesus Freak’ in Urban Dictionary, and this is what I found:
- Someone who displays an unusual or embarrassing amount of enthusiasm for Jesus.
- Someone who: Has a bracelet, bumper sticker, t-shirt, etc with Christian phrases on it.
- Is a born again Christian.
- Goes to church.
- Talks freely to many people about their beliefs.
- Has the fire of Jesus in their heart.
- Someone who persists in talking about the importance of Jesus in their life and the world to the point of being rude.
First, why Urban Dictionary? Well, I think it provides a better cross section of secular opinion, including as you can see here to some degree, examples of misinformation, ignorance, brilliance, prejudice, honesty, legend, rumor and all of the other things that make up public opinion. So, that said, I have therefore come to the conclusion that by today’s terms I am a Jesus Freak (with the exception of being rude. I don’t think I am being rude – am I?)
I then confirmed what many of my friends and family have already probably thought by looking up the phrase in Dictionary.com, a more traditional source for definitions: a member of any of several fundamentalist groups of chiefly young people (Jesus people) originating in the early 1970s, emphasizing intense personal devotion to and study of Jesus Christ and His teachings. (I think this still fits with the exception that I am no longer considered a young person, and the qualification that I am a member of a catholic church, which may no longer be considered a fundamentalist church.)
I then got to thinking then that all of Jesus’ contemporary followers must have been one heck of a group of Jesus Freaks. Well, then a bible verse came to me. The one where Jesus has risen from the dead and confronts Thomas with His wounds from the crucifixion (and the source for the marvelous image above – just look at his face- of Thomas when he realizes that Christ truly does live!): Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
I then thought, ‘how could you not believe at that point – really?’ It must have been easier to be a Jesus Freak when Jesus walked the earth and you could see Him, hear Him and see the miracles He performed. But truth be told there were lots of contemporaries of Jesus that did not believe. And, all of His contemporaries had the same opportunity to stand before the empty tomb and come to their own conclusion – just as we do today 2000 years later. And I thought of my recent trip to Jerusalem and the garden tomb, a site from the time of Christ, and very similar to the one where Christ was actually entombed and rose from the dead, > click here < and I thought, I believe and I am blessed.
I guess this is how the mind of a Jesus Freak works…I’ve become one of those characters from the 70’s. The only things I find truly interesting are those having to do with God, our relationship with Him and His son Jesus Christ, and how we relate to one another as His children. I guess that’s not so bad – but I am now at the point where I can really relate to those freaks that would make it their sole topic of conversation or study- actually being able to relate every subject matter or discussion to Salvation – whether it be mundane day to day chatter or deeper secular current events. I have ‘brain-washed’ myself into becoming one of them, and it has become my sanctuary in a world with seemingly no apparent purpose at times other than self gratification and cruelty. And it has become my hope and comfort, and it is where I have found my peace. So you see, being a ‘freak’ has its upside.