Charles Barkley a long time ago (while he was still playing) stated “I am not a role model”. That is because of numerous scrapes with the law and as a way of avoiding responsibility for his actions. You see because he was a basketball player and many aspire to be basketball players, they saw him as their role model.
It was uncomfortable for Charles to think people were following him because of who they thought he was. Because he could never measure up completely to who people might think he was. So Nike made this commercial.
Jesus says “Follow me”. He says “Come”. He is the perfect role model but more than a role model because he is more than the example, He is the life. Jesus never asks us to somehow get ourselves straight first. The disciples were never asked to clean up their act first. Matthew for instance was not asked to quit the tax collecting business to follow Jesus. Simon the Zealot was not asked to change what he did. Warts and all, they were asked to come follow Jesus. The act of sanctification followed the act of regeneration. I could never clean myself up first. Self-effort would get me nowhere. In fact, I have trouble remembering any occurrence where Jesus asked anyone to clean up their own act. Even Zaccheus was not asked to change anything – it welled up from within after faith. Yet how contrary to our world which still says that sanctification comes from self effort.
You want to clean up your act? Come follow Jesus.
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