Jesus and Ronaldo

I saw a video of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo going "undercover" as a bearded man in sweatpants and sunglasses in Madrid, Spain.  During the short film, he pulled out a soccer ball and a cardboard box like a busker.  After demonstrating some footwork, he tried to encourage other people to play soccer with him.  No one seemed very interested in the man juggling and kicking the ball to himself.  Finally, Ronaldo managed to gain the interest of a boy, and he encouraged him to try to steal the ball from his lightning-fast feet.  After a few minutes Ronaldo picked up the ball, signed it, and began to remove his disguise.  He handed the ball to the boy and gave him a hug.  Onlookers can be heard gasping in shock and amazement as the sportsman revealed his true identity.  The once desolate square quickly packed with people with mobiles out, and strained to capture images of the world-famous celebrity.

Who receives the glory for Ronaldo posing as a homeless man and giving a signed soccer ball to a boy?  Ronaldo, of course.  Why?  Because he didn't have to.  He makes more than 50 million dollars annually as a soccer player and could very well be one of the world's most famous athletes.  This little gesture of putting on makeup and going into the real world without security or bodyguards as a busker with a soccer ball only took a few hours and was a small sacrifice.  But because it was Cristiano Ronaldo, it is a huge deal that only improves his image (and provides advertising for products at the end of the video!).

What I find most compelling about the film (not knowing the motives of the man) is how everyone's attitude towards the man with the soccer ball changed when he pulled off his disguise.  People seemed to come from nowhere to swarm Ronaldo.  Security quickly ushered him away from the growing crowd of adoring fans, trying to press in as close as possible to the celebrity.  He had demonstrated world-class talent in that square moments earlier, but no one recognised it.  Only a couple of men and a boy were willing to humour the man and play with him for a few minutes.  It was only after those who passed by saw the beard removed from the clean-shaven face they realised under that disguise was the best and most famous footballer on the planet.  They couldn't believe their eyes.

When I saw this video, one thing flashed in my mind:  Jesus never removed His beard.  Ronaldo dressing as a homeless busker is nothing compared to the God of the universe becoming a man and walking among us.  God didn't have to, but He wanted to.  Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a devout Jewish woman and born as a baby in Bethlehem.  Around 30 years old He began to preach repentance and the kingdom of God.  He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, cleansed lepers, and cast out demons.  But Jesus never once "removed His beard" or His fleshly disguise.  Most people had no idea Jesus was God in human flesh because He looked ordinary, and only a handful followed Him until the end.  He did not step out of His human body and reveal His unrivaled divine splendour and glory, but chose to die the excruciating death of the cross as a sacrifice for sinners.  Even after He rose from the dead, some doubted (Matthew 28:17).

Do you realise what Jesus has done in coming to earth?  He shed His blood to provide atonement for sins so He could be with us forever - far more than Ronaldo did in giving a boy a signed ball.  If the video of Ronaldo warms your heart, how much more should God's divine condescension fill us with love and appreciation for the One who has so vividly expressed the love of God for man?  Many people still don't recognise Jesus for who He is, but one day every eye will see Him and bow before Him.  Only those with faith like that little boy - the one who appreciated and played with Ronaldo before his disguise was removed - will receive His rewards when Christ is revealed from heaven.  Only those who trust in Jesus, believing He is the Son of God, will be rewarded with eternal life.

Thank you Jesus for revealing yourself as the Son of God through wisdom, signs, wonders, sacrificial death, and resurrection.  Remember me when you come into your kingdom!