CLEAVER: Juxtaposition Again

Juxtaposition is the act of placing two objects side by side. In the case of this article, it has to do with two advertisements placed side by side on one billboard. This duo of billboard advertisements is on the highway I travel when I go to our town. I saw the dueling messages yesterday morning. I almost stopped but rather quickly took the next turn-around to go back to take another look.

One side of the billboard reads: “Got a dog that needs training?” It is in very large letters with a nice picture of an obedient hound at the feet of his master. The other part of the sign right next to it reads “Trust Jesus.” It is in large red letters with some Scripture verse mentioned in small print at the bottom. So, glancing at the sign at highway speed (that is about 70 mph on this highway — most of the time it is more) the message reads: “If your dog needs training, trust Jesus.” It may be true in some cases, with some dogs, that only a miracle from the Lord will get this dog trained!

It seems our nation is in the juxtaposition business with Christian virtues and honor, reverence and obedience due God placed alongside the world’s standards that emphasize promotion of self, accumulation of wealth and self-satisfaction. Even we, as Christians, place disparate things side by side in our lives. Seeing this mix of positioning at break-neck speed, the media, social perception and opinion see only a blur. The message is confused. What do we, as Christians, really need to demonstrate in our lives? The truth of the matter is there is only one message when it comes to what the Lord of Armies requires of us. The prophet Micah (6:8) has that simple word: “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Juxtaposition involves two things normally placed side by side. “For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves — cracked cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jer. 2:13).