Thanks to the alignment of the calendar abbreviation for March and the tenth of that same month each year, we have the annual gaming holiday known as “Mar10 Day” (or Mario Day, if you are using a program to read this to you and that made no sense). This day doesn’t actually commemorate Mario’s actual birthday or even the release date from one of his original adventures, but who needs continuity when we can just celebrate everyone’s favorite Mario once a year on a random day in March? As much as I love Mario Day, I think our gamer’s union still has a lot of work to do to get it recognized by the government, because for some reason this isn’t a holiday that seems to qualify for any actual benefits or time off of work… when I asked my boss if I could play Mario games all day in support of this annual celebration, I was promptly advised that would be a career-limiting move. Oh well, I guess I will just have to continue to celebrate privately… you would think Mario’s contributions to the world of gaming would at least deserve a few rounds of Mario Kart on the timeclock.

Over the years, Mario has grown from a random, plucky plumber on a bizarre adventure to save his kingdom from a collection of angry mushrooms and malevolent turtles to the mascot of not just Nintendo, but the entire realm of videogames. But in his first incarnation, Mario did not carry his iconic name nor his seemingly disconnected occupation into the game… as a matter of fact, he didn’t even HAVE what one would consider a “name”. In his debut as the primary protagonist of “Donkey Kong”, Mario was simply identified in the instructions to the game as “Jumpman”… because he “jumped”. The entire game was predicated on “Jumpman’s” abilities to leap over obstacles on his way to confronting an angry ape with an endless supply of barrels at his disposal… and despite his change in name, Mario’s leaping abilities are his defining characteristic in every game that would follow. As a matter of fact, while every Mario platforming title provides the option for Mario to succeed at completing levels without dispatching any enemies, EVERY one of these games requires him to jump in order to reach the finish line. Fortunately, it is in his DNA to jump… it is literally built into his code as his defining characteristic and is both his primary offensive and defensive weapon. He may be known as Mario to us now, but inside he is still “Jumpman”… because he jumps.

Names are important, especially when they are given based on a specific outward manifestation of that name. Jumpman was named Jumpman because he jumps… if he didn’t jump, it wouldn’t have made much sense to call him that. We would have been confused as to why the character was given a name that implied jumping abilities that would be demonstrated within the game, only to be disappointed when the situation called for jumping and the character squatted instead. We would quickly become frustrated when pressing the “jump” button only to find that the “Jumpman” would choose to sit in a chair every time we pressed it, causing us to fail the level. Eventually, we would grow to resent the “Jumpman” and all he represented because we expected the Jumpman to JUMP… and we certainly wouldn’t give him a day out of our year to celebrate him when he never behaved in a manner that was consistent with what his name promised. And if we have chosen to identify ourselves as followers of Christ, we have a name that we carry that has some very specific implications… and if we fail to demonstrate the characteristics and responsibilities that wearing this name implies, we have no one to blame but ourselves when the world around us has trouble believing in the Savior we follow due to our poor representation of Him.

What is implied in the name “Christian” that we choose to wear? How do we define it? What are the implications when we choose to wrap ourselves in the protective cloak of the name of Christ and display this proudly as the Messiah we serve? If a “Jumpman” is expected to “Jump”, what are the expectations for those of us who call ourselves by the name “Christian”? This is a tricky slope to navigate, because there is a prevalent narrative that has afflicted the followers of Christ for years that is best summarized in the slogan “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”… a well-meaning but ultimately misleading phrase that belongs in the “not an actual Bible verse” hall of fame. While it is absolutely true that ALL Christians are sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), there is an expectation of the impact of that grace we have received that moves beyond simply “forgiving our sins” and into “doing good works”… it’s actually stated in the very next verse. And if we only read and embrace the the first two verses that tell us we are “saved by grace through faith” and neglect the third one that continues the thought by saying we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works”, we have missed the whole point of this grace we have received and we are letting ourselves off of the hook for OUR part in this relationship.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

By choosing to identify ourselves as Christians, we are taking on a job description, not just a belief. While that might sound controversial, the book of James cuts down any argument that belief in God is synonymous with being a “Christian”… as hard as it is to write this, mere belief in God or His Son does not SAVE anyone. If it did, satan himself would be saved because he ABSOLUTELY believes in God… he is actively at war with Him, which is pretty hard to do with someone if you don’t believe they exist. And satan took time out of his busy schedule to both attempt and eventually succeed at murdering Christ because he and his demons KNEW that Jesus was the Son of God (Luke 4:41). Their awareness and belief in God and His Son did not alter their behaviors… which is the whole point of receiving His grace to begin with.

Luke 4:40-41 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

James 2:14-19 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 

As we consider the frustration that would occur while playing a video game featuring a “Jumpman” that doesn’t jump when jumping is necessary to both survive and win the game, we should reflect on the disappointment of a world that has grown accustomed to “Christians” who don’t “Christian”. I know that the word “Christian” isn’t a verb, but shouldn’t it be? Shouldn’t our faith in Christ be demonstrated not merely by what we say or what we believe, but by how we live in response to that faith? While our actions in obedience to Christ do not save us (we are saved by grace alone), they ARE the natural expression of a life that we are now living under a new name… a Jumpman may not be perfect, but a Jumpman is still going to jump.

James 2:22-26 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

As former prisoners of sin, we were not set free by Christ to live life as escaped convicts on the run, but in a newness of life that is represented by our commitment to demonstrating Christ in our actions with everyone we meet through the power of the Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5:22-25). It is true that Christians aren’t perfect and that repentant followers ARE forgiven (1 John 1:9)… but if that forgiveness has truly been received, it will be shown through the fruits of a life that is now plugged into an entirely different vine (1 John 1:6-7). We are all producing “works”… the question is what works are we producing?

Galatians 5:19-25 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

On this MAR10 Day, let’s celebrate the newness of life we have all been given through a little introspection… just as a “Jumpman” is expected to “jump”, a Christian is gonna “Christian”. It can’t help but show up in the way we play the game… and if our fruits aren’t representative of that, we might have a little pruning to do. Wearing Christ’s name is more than just a membership into a “get out of hell free” club… it is a CALLING that compels us to become more like Him each day as we follow in His footsteps (2 Corinthians 5:17). We do not “enroll” in Christianity, we EXPRESS it. We don’t generate fruit to be part of the tree, but we DO generate fruit BECAUSE we are part of the tree. Whether we knew him first as “Jumpman”, Mario, or Super Mario, he has always been a JUMPER, because that’s what a Jumpman does. And as followers of Christ, let’s evaluate ourselves to ensure the actions of Christ is what we are displaying to a world that needs to see Him living through us more than ever… because that’s what Christians do.

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