It’s almost football season. That means it’s time for watching football movies. One of my favorites is “The Blind Side.” But there is one problem…
Maybe it’s because I’m a minister. Or maybe it is because it was glaringly obvious. Either way, Disney rewrote Scripture.
Maybe you caught it too. Near the beginning of the movie, as the camera sweeps across the campus of the high school setting and finally settles on an entry-way arch –there it is… etched in stone. The camera slows down just long enough so you can read it:
“With man this is possible.
With God all things are possible.”
I don’t know if Disney thought people wouldn’t notice the slight change, but to be honest, it’s not so slight. In fact, it’s huge.
Matthew 19:26 actually states: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Do you see the difference? Two little letters –“im” –as in the difference between “possible” and “impossible.”
Jesus’ words in Matthew 19 are in response to a question posed by the disciples.
The rich young ruler has gone away sad because he couldn’t swallow the thought of allowing Christ to rule his life instead of his possessions. After he walked away, Jesus told the disciples how difficult it is for a rich man to enter heaven. This astonished the disciples because they thought that if anyone would enter heaven, surely it would be a rich and powerful person.
That is the way the world thinks: Great men can achieve great things –and God can just help those poor souls who aren’t so great.
Or, maybe you’ve heard it stated another way, “If you set your mind to it, you can do anything.” Really? I’m pretty sure I’ll never do a reverse slam-dunk on a ten foot goal without a trampoline (and physical therapy afterwards).
The truth of the matter is that even the mightiest of men are helpless. Everything they have ever achieved is completely dependent upon Christ. He supplies them with their gifts, talents, abilities, resources, and relationships (Romans 11:36). Nothing is possible without Christ.
And, more importantly, no man can win his way to heaven –it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).
So that’s why Jesus explained how difficult it is for a rich man to enter heaven. And that’s what prompted the disciples to ask, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25).
Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Wow. Everyone is in need of Christ –not just a few poor souls who can’t get it together for themselves. In fact, none of us can “get it together.”
I guess Disney figured that Christ’s message didn’t fit in a “feel-good,” “pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps” kind of movie. Or maybe they determined that men would reject the idea that they need God for everything (not just when He’s convenient).
Either way, it is a pity. Because sooner or later, even the most powerful men in the world realize that there is something they can’t buy with money or manipulate with power. In that moment, reality hits them from the blind side.