What Do You Think of Jesus?

Recently, I had the opportunity to take my two sons and two of their friends to see the movie Run the Race. My favorite scene was (don’t worry. . . this is not a spoiler) when the main character was invited to dinner at his new girlfriend’s home. The two of them shared a meal with her parents. Before the meal began, the girl’s father asked the high school senior two questions:

AND

I mean, whoa. What incredible questions to ask a high school boy! (Or any age boy for that matter, who wants to date a girl!)

These questions have haunted/challenged/encouraged me ever since I viewed that scene in the movie.

How?

First, I didn’t like how the conversation went on the way home. I asked the four boys in the car ride afterward how they would have answered the girl’s father. Their answers scared me. Total Sunday School replies. No richness. No realness. No evidence of an ongoing relationship with Jesus. Total “preacher’s kid” answers.

Second, I so want my boys to think respectfully about women. I want a dad to ask what they think about his daughter and I want them to reply with an authentic answer of respect and care and delicate intentions. I want them to want to date a girl who has a father that asks these kinds of questions. I want my boys to learn the discipline of how true relationships involve commitment and consequences. I want them to respect the person, not just pleasure.

Third, I want them to have a good answer to the Jesus question. I don’t want just a doctrinally correct answer. I don’t want an answer that communicates just what the inquiring father wants to hear. I don’t want a “I’m a good, moral, law-abiding citizen” answer. I want an answer that reveals Jesus is real to them, speaks to them, and lovingly demands their obedience. In other words, I want their to be evidence that they really do follow a living, loving, resurrected Lord.

Before we arrived home after the movie, my boys asked me if I was going to do that with Birti and her dates. I said I certainly hope so. I also said I hope they date girls whose father’s do it to/for them. They didn’t like that, but I hope it’s true. In fact, I pray they desire to date girls with father’s like this. Would you join me in praying this for my sons?

By the way, what do YOU think of Jesus?