Would You Watch Jesus on Reality TV?
If Jesus were to appear on our screens today as a chat-show guest, would you follow my son’s example, but instead enthusiastically shout: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”?
By Julia Beacroft – ‘JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!” My then 17-year-old son chanted, along with the TV studio audience.
“JERRY!” My son was, of course, watching The Jerry Springer Show. Television presenter, former lawyer, mayor of Cincinnati, news presenter, actor, and musician Jerry Springer remains well known for hosting his chat show, which continues to be ever popular.
In fact, the current trend of reality TV, docu-soaps and chat shows commands a huge proportion of airtime on our televisions, with soaring viewing figures. And there are so many of them.
Reality TV On Everything
You name it, and there’s been a programme about it, whether it’s the armed forces, cookery, hairdressing, sugar or survival. Then there are the really well-known “big guns” such as Big Brother or Keeping up with the Kardashians. These days our screens seem to feature them all.
Yet what does “Reality TV” really mean? The Internet, as ever, provides us with the answer:
“Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents supposedly unscripted real-life situations, and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors.”
These types of TV programmes usually feature a whole range of human emotions. And in our own daily living, these so-called “real-life situations” are also funny, emotional, humdrum, upsetting or angry — but, more importantly, they can also involve love. And without doubt, love makes the world go round.
In fact, a child first learns about love in the home. And where there is love, there is God — I’m sure most of us are familiar with the expression “God is love”.
Jesus’ Reality – Law of Love
Our own personal realities involve our relationships with each other and with the Lord. And in these relationships, our emotions are always engaged.
But, of course, the primary focus of Jesus’ reality was his Law of Love. There are many distractions in our world today but there are two things which will endure forever: love and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Reality TV is cult entertainment for our time which we can tune into if we are so inclined. But we can be certain that Jesus Christ is the supreme reality for all time — and he is readily available for us to “tune into” whenever we want to.
If Jesus were to appear on our screens today as a chat-show guest, would you follow my son’s example, but instead enthusiastically shout: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”?
Julia Beacroft’s book Sanctifying The Spirit is published by Sancio Books. It is available on Amazon.
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