jesus christ, you da' man

Jesus Christ, You Da' Man

By Joe Renna

Throughout time, no one person has made an impact on humanity as remarkably as Jesus of Nazareth. The greatest of all time. In every aspect of life, his stats are off the charts. His impact is such that 2000 years after his birth almost one billion people worldwide believe he is God made man. Not that you have to be Christian to give Jesus his due. Even Brooklyn Dodger fans had a Joe DiMaggio trading card in their collection.

This past season, the New York Yankees won their third pennant and third world series of the nineties, earning them accolades as the team of the decade as well as the Century and I guess the millennium.

Comparing sports stars of different eras has always been a dubious chore, as dubious as it is entertaining. Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Pele', Jeff Gordon, Babe Ruth: All arguably the best ever at their game. If you could imagine one person being more dominating than all of them combined, you wouldn't come close to the magnitude of Jesus Christ.

The heavenly hall of fame is filled with people of equal caliber. Moses, Budda, Mohammed, Ghandi: all worthy of No. 1 status in the eyes of their fans.

In today's world "role model" is synonomous with "celebrity". Youth emulate ball players, musicians and actors who are packaged and promoted for just that reason. This analogy to sports is an attempt to present Jesus in terms relative to today's pop culture. If someone can hit a ball with a stick, fans will follow him and subscribe to his most innane beliefs, morals and ethics, good and bad. Why can't we draw role models from a pool of humanitarians?

Maybe the Bible should have a sports column. Soccer moms would be more apt to push their little superstars into reading it. Besides, Jesus must have been an outstanding athlete in his day. Did he play soccer? Or should I say football? I picture him as a hulking figure. Working as a carpenter at a young age in his father's shop, he had to develop extraordinary strength and dexterity. I'm sure there was no Black & Decker power tools back then.

The scene is the Mount Sinai Open. The Gallery is silent, including a guy wearing a rainbow afro wig holding an obscure sign. Jesus is composing himself and is about to deliver a lecture on the beatitudes. Just before he speaks a voice from the crowd yells out, "You da' Man!". Jesus continues, poised and undaunted