Lately, I've been thinking about the king. You know...Elvis. I've been thinking about how he got it all wrong. Just for a moment, close your eyes and think about Elvis. Go on...do it. Close your eyes and think about Elvis. Now I'm curious...which Elvis did you picture in your mind? Was it the young Elvis or the older, fat and bloated, jumpsuit Elvis?When I think about Elvis, I picture Jumpsuit Elvis. I don't know why, but I do. It's kind of sad that the last images we have of someone who was so famous are those of him being out of shape, dressing like Evil Knievel, and growing side burns behind his ears. And his last moments are nothing to write home about either. There he was sitting on the toilet getting ready to take the Browns to the Superbowl, when he had a heart attack and died. He fell off the toilet and laid there with his pants around his ankles, while the brown fish swam in the bowl, until someone finally decided to look for him. Not a very fitting end to the life of someone who was nicknamed, The King.
I think that Elvis would have been better served if he would have been killed while he was serving in the military. Now before all the Elvis lovers begin sending me hate mail, just think about this for a minute. His career had just started taking off and Elvis hysteria was at an all-time high. Had he taken a bullet while in the army, he would have become a martyr and the image we would forever remember would have been the young, vibrant Elvis. But he got it wrong.
Now let me tell you about someone who got it right. People also referred to him as The King. Actually, they call him The King of Kings...That's right, Jesus. Imagine if Jesus hadn't died when He did. How sad it would have been if Jesus had continued living and became fat and bloated like Elvis. There He would have been showing up at the Synagogue with His twelve man entourage dressed in a jumpsuit. His hair starting to thin and a little Grecian formula to hide the gray. Instead of feeding on manna from heaven, He would have been eating fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, washing them down with goat milk and fried matzo balls.
But you see, Jesus was destined to be remembered for all of eternity as the guy who got it right. Sure, He could have commanded a legion of angels to come down from Heaven and get Him off the cross, and wreck havoc on the inhabitants of the world but He didn't. There was no dying on the toilet for Him.
Elvis wasn't the king. He was fully man, yet fully man. Jesus, on the other hand, was fully man, yet fully God. He was on mission from God and He got it right. So, when I close my eyes and picture the King...I picture Jesus...not the 8 pound 6 six ounce newborn, infant Jesus, like Ricky Bobby does; but the fully grown, risen from the dead Jesus.
Now, please excuse me while I go and ask His forgiveness for even thinking that He would eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Be Well.
Bill
