The Karate Kid clip 'Jacket On'

My daughter Maggie and I went on a date this Summer to see the latest movie by Jackie Chan, "Karate Kid".

In the film Jackie has agreed to mentor actor Jaden Smith in the secrets of Kung Fu as a way of defending himself against bullies, win a scheduled bout against his bigger and stronger rival, and of course win the heart of the cute Chinese girl.

For training, Jackie offers him the singular instruction of repeatedly hanging up his jacket...thats it! hang up his jacket, over and over. "Jacket on" "jacket off" is the extent of the instruction offered to the eager young boy, who is expecting something more elaborate, something that at least looks like Kung Fu. Jackie offers no explanation, for hours each day all the boy hears is his Sinsei's mantra of "jacket on, jacket off".  the boy eventually snaps an decides to quit and walk out.

In this video clip above Jackie finally reveals the meaning of this mundane task.

I found this to be a fun parallel for spiritual disciplines like memorizing scripture.  Often the work of memorizing seems like donkey work, just plodding over and over again, words and phrases that you have already read hundreds of times, with times in the process where you question the fruitfulness of the exercise.  The exercise itself is not the point however, instead the exercise is an indirect path to a more important goal.

Most of us have learned at some point in our Christian life that God has done a work in our hearts in converting us, that our hearts have been made right with God.  Luke says that we have been given a "good and noble" heart.  These "new" hearts need to go into training however in order to be fully experienced.  That is what discipleship is, becoming an apprentice with Jesus, arranging our whole lives around the things that Jesus does.  Spiritual disciplines like memorization of scripture allow us to train our new heart.  We cannot live like Jesus simply by willing it to happen.

Even the word "discipline" implies a need to correct a weakness, and now with a new heart this transformation of the self, the mind, body and spirit are capable of transformation because the Spirit lives in us.  And the renovation of our hearts are brought about in part through disciplines.  Sometimes "repetitive" and "mundane " like taking your jacket on and off, over and over again, they work to free us to live in the Kingdom and to be fully alive to the new hearts won for us through Jesus.

 Jackie says "Jacket on, be strong:  Jacket on, firm:  Jacket off, remember, always strong."  Now watch the video one more time and as you listen to Jackie's last words try substituting the word/s "Jesus" or "the Word of God" for Kung Fu.

Jesus is our Sinsei, and we are his apprentice.  Now pick up the Bible - ready?   "Ephesians on!" "Ephesians off!"