Exodus 32:1 NIV
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Whether we are scrolling through our phones on social media, checking out the supermarket tabloids, mindlessly watching television, or singing along to our favorite artists in our cars, each and every one of us daily has something in common.
We all worship idols.
Whether or not we realize it, every day we choose to worship man-made objects, people, places, or things. We look to all of these for joy, personal fulfillment, and yet, so many times, can be blinded to their faults, and at times more so, can become blinded to their depravity.
The HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, a four-hour film featuring the testimonies of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who said that Michael Jackson abused them as children, premiered last weekend in our country, and since then, has caused a whole bundle of new issues and concerns.
After watching the documentary, former fans are disgusted by him and feel they can no longer listen to his music. The TV show, The Simpsons, has now chosen to remove from syndication and existence its one episode featuring Mr. Jackson. Many don’t know how to separate “the man” from his music. Yet, still, there are those who defend his innocence, and cannot in any scenario, see the “King of Pop” as a wicked and depraved man.
It is no secret to most of you that for many years, I have been a Michael Jackson fan. On all my Apple devices I have ever owned, I have played his songs hundreds of times. The few times I would go to parties, through church or elsewhere, the only music that would make me attempt to dance would be his. Most of all, one of my most cherished memories is singing his songs acapella with friends from Come Let’s Dance in a house in Uganda almost nine years ago.
Then I watched Leaving Neverland Wednesday night, and then yesterday, I did not know what to think. I was shocked, appalled, angered at what he had done to those men and their families. I also felt a heaviness unlike anything I have I felt from watching a movie or television show in quite some time. I have attempted to listen to his music, but I have only been able to make it through maybe a few songs. To conclude, I am one of those who will have a hard time separating the music of Michael Jackson from his sins.
Even if you believe he’s innocent, and think solely of his music, his charity work, and his influence, which has left a mark in the entertainment industry, I know one thing to be true.
You and I daily do the same thing so many of Michael Jackson’s die-hard fans still are choosing to do. We choose to only see the good. We binge on Netflix because it is entertaining. We get all the latest gadgets and mobile devices, then we lose ourselves in them.
We can know all about our favorite athletes, TV and movie stars, and even politicians, crave to meet them, and not even consider the fact that they are flawed.
And that, my friends, is what I have learned from this latest controversy involving Michael Jackson this week. Every man, woman, and child, and every created thing is flawed and broken. We may look to people, places, or things, as gods, but in the end, just like the Israelites learned when they made the golden calf with Aaron in the desert, no god stands above “Yahweh,” and no man is greater than the “Great I Am.”
So, instead of looking to celebrities, instead of looking to our phones, to Netflix, to our friends and family members we perceive to be “perfect” on Instagram, I pray we would all look to the only one who is constant, the only one who is sovereign, and the only one who does not fail or change. Let’s set our eyes on Jesus.
Until Next Time,
Jacob McGowen
The Adventures of A Warrior 