Geico Commercials seem to always catch my attention...they have a simple humor that resonates...the cavemen have become iconic...even the enduring honesty of Abe Lincoln becomes refreshing. And unless you you are heartless, that little Gecko, Australian...or British, (it's doesn't matter) just makes you want to have a lizard for a pet...well, not really, but He's cute. I saw this particular commercial the other night, and instantly saw Gospel implications. If we play the word association game, I say "Geico," you say, "Gecko." Sure, Geico is an insurance company, but really, it's the Gecko. So, isn't it interesting that Gecko defers the attention off of himself?
There is a theological term, “perichoresis,” that comes from two Greek words, peri, which means “around” and chorea, which means “dance.” It refers to to the reciprocal indwelling and intersecting of the three persons of the Triune Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit. All explanations of the Trinity ultimately deteriorate, but C.S. Lewis's explanation helps our finite, logical minds understand it, at least from one perspective. He writes in Mere Christianity, "...in Christianity God is not a static thing - not even a person - but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance." The Father, Son, and Spirit have perfect communion and intimacy with one another. The Father loves the Son by means of the Spirit’s procession and the Son loves the Father by the same means. The Spirit loves both the Father and the Son and eternally proceeds from the Father and Son. Each glorifies one another, and all "glory" means is placing weight and significance on something. There is no selfishness whatsoever in the Trinity.
Jesus said, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' John 8:54
A little later, Jesus tells his disciples, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16:13-15
The root of all sin is self-centeredness. We glorify, or place the weight and significance, on people, things, concepts, feelings, etc. that cannot hold up the weight of glory...they, which the Bible calls idols, crumble and frustrate us. The most common idol is ourselves, and we would be wise to follow the leading of all the members of the Trinity and even the Geico Gecko, and defer the glory... to the one who not only deserves it but the only one who can actually receive it, Jesus. It's all about Jesus, always about Jesus, and only about Jesus.
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