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From time to time I receive something so utterly ridiculous that I simply cannot pass up an opportunity to comment.  Sadly, these ridiculous things too often come from supposed Christian sources. 

 Recently, I received a book of advertisements for Christian products.  In that booklet, there was an ad for a DVD titled “At Jesus’ Side,” produced by Bridgestone Multimedia Group.  The accompanying description was as follows:

“A sure to become classic animated movie and family favorite.  At Jesus’ Side brings the teachings of Jesus to life for today’s families through the story of five misfit animals on a journey towards love and forgiveness.  Our hero, Jericho, is a vagabond street dog who befriends Jesus and follows him throughout the last week of his life, death and resurrection.”

 The DVD cover has a cartoon picture of Jesus hugging a dog while surrounded by various animals, including a giraffe, elephant, hedgehog, lizard and various dogs.  There is so much insanity here I scarcely know where to begin!  Is this what the church of the living God has come to – that we need to use some fairy tale, “green,” environmentally-friendly, animal-loving cartoon in order to teach the gospel to our children?  God help us.

 Dear friends, do not be misled by "green" versions of Christianity or the gospel.  While God does indeed command Adam, and by extension us, to exercise good stewardship over the creation, we dare not forget that “dominion” was part and parcel to that stewardship (see Gen 1:26; 9:1-3).  Rather than portray Jesus as a dog-lover, why not just let the Word of God speak?

I submit to you there’s more gospel in the first chapter of Leviticus than in 1000 of these idiotic DVD cartoons.  (By the way, go read that chapter and you’ll see God commanding lots of blood-letting of various animals in order to atone for the atrocity of human sin).  When will we wake up and begin to once again embrace the Reformation cry of sola scriptura? 

I am not against Word-centered resources to assist us in teaching the gospel to children, but parents, grandparents and teachers, I plead with you, make it the priority of your lives to open the Bible and by God’s grace “rightly divide” it.  The Word applied by the Spirit is enough; yea more than enough!  Put away all the foolish cartoons, and pick up your Bibles.

And if we simply insist on using dogs to help illustrate and teach the gospel, may I suggest we begin with the account of King David's kindness to the late King Saul's lame grandson, Mephibosheth.  Overwhelmed by the King's grace to a crippled man, Mephibosheth cries out, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I" (2 Samuel 9:8)? 

Now, there's a lot of gospel in this story!  I love the summary sentence: "So Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons" (v. 11).  

And if we still insist on using dogs to teach the gospel, may I then suggest we conclude the matter with the account of Jesus' merciful kindness to a Syro-Phoenician woman who took no insult to the Master calling her a dog.  No, rather than pander to her hurt pride, she comes to Jesus as a beggar and replies, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (Mark 7:28).        

These are stories worth telling, don't you think?  And unlike an animated film of a street dog that "befriends Jesus" (I gag every time I read it), the stories of Mephibosheth and the Syro-Pheonician woman are the very words of God.  Thus, they carry the full weight and power and authority of God.  They shall not return to Him void (Is 55:11).     

God give us Ezra’s in this day of utter silliness: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).