Did Jesus Play Dodgeball?

As a young boy, Jesus grew up working aside his father Joseph as the son of a carpenter. Though it is likely that He had toys carved out of wood, and perhaps even played with many of the aquatic animals located in the Nile region in Egypt and along the Sea of Galilee, there is sadly no commentary on whether or not He pegged other boys with gator skinned hard foam balls.

As Jesus aged, He turned water into wine, made some pigs run off of a cliff, and even got left behind at the synagogue (which is kind of what happens to you guys when your parents drop you off). Furthermore, He walked on water, He healed a handful of blind men, and even had a couple of picnics in which He fed thousands of people. Perhaps, during one of the giant festivals someone may have picked up one of the leftover fish and smacked it over the head of someone else, but there is no official record to confirm such an episode. With such an overwhelming lack of evidence, this historian has to report negatively that the Son of Man did not play dodgeball.

But, there is another question worthy of the same importance. Actually, it is even more important. Are YOU dodging JESUS? Hmm, is it possible that whenever someone mentions something about religion, or church, or about "accepting Christ as your savior," that you try to dodge the issue.

No, you probably don't come out and say, "there is no God, leave me alone," and then go running off angry like an infant who just had his pacifier taken away by his big brother. But perhaps you use convenient sayings such as "I'm just not sure what to believe," or "I'm against organized religion," or the ever popular "I have to work, but I'll try to plug in." What if Luke Skywalker "tried" to destroy the Death Star. Heck, there wouldn't have been 5 more Star Wars movies and everyone in society would see Luke as a giant coward rather than a great Jedi Knight.

So how does someone stop dodging Jesus? Well, the first step is to admit that you are a "Jesus Dodger." As in all terrible habits, admitting the wrong being done is the first step. Then, tell someone. There is help available. It's called church and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a former "Jesus Dodger" who admitted the gosh honest truth that I had been running from Christ while I was in High School, it felt great to finally confess what I had been doing and begin a relationship with the Savior of the World.

Though Jesus never played dodgeball, it felt great to stop dodging Jesus. And I can tell you that first hand. If you have any questions, email me at tompapez@hotmail.com.

Tom Papez
WSC Dodgeball Commissioner