The Sudden Death of Michael Jackson

I was signing in at a local one-stop employment center to look for work when I heard from the front desk about what just broke on the news that moment: the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop", at the age of 50 from an apparent heart attack. Just a few hours before, I saw TV news reports on the death of "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett at age 62 from terminal cancer. Michael's death overshadowed Farrah's, and I suppose rightfully so, because while we have known Farrah was dying and a Roman Catholic priest gave her last rites at the hospital the night before, Michael's passing was sudden, unexpected, and shocking.

As I write this, MJ has all but taken over the global news headlines, trumping the unrest in Iran, the economic crisis here in California, the global warming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, and so on. I knew that Michael continued to enjoy huge popularity overseas, but I had no idea how huge he was until he died. It was a testament to his being one of the few truly global entertainers of our time. I used to think of his hardcore fans in Europe as crazy, amoral and forever stuck in the 1980's, but now I realize they love his music, not his strange private life, like the fans of many a musician.

As a child in the 70's and 80's I was like many of my generation a big fan of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. I sang along to "ABC", "Dancing Machine", "Enjoy Yourself" and "Shake Your Body" and marveled at all their huge afros. When MJ truly broke out as a solo artist with "Off The Wall" during the disco era, it was a lot of fun. As a 13-year-old, I sensed something special and historic happening before my eyes when Michael danced, popped and moonwalked to "Billie Jean" on the "Motown 25" anniversary program on NBC. That was probably the event that he became a global megastar, something I never new about before in my young lifetime.

But then of course came all the stories about his private life. Surrounding himself with preteen stars like Emmanuel Lewis and Macaulay Culkin. The sleepovers at his Neverland Ranch. His obsession with Peter Pan and experiencing the childhood he never truly had. The brutal accusations of child sexual abuse. Dangling his baby son Blanket over the hotel balcony in Berlin. Persisting in his strange lifestyle even after it got him in trouble with the law and a few days in a county jail. It seems that MJ was emotionally stunted at five or six, when he and his brothers broke into showbiz, and the rest of his life was spent on trying to make up for lost time.

Whether or not Michael really did what he was accused of doing to those kids, only God knows. But what can we learn from such a strange, lonely and tragic life?

As a former MJ fan and as a conservative, evangelical Christian, I am reminded of Christ's words:

• "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"
  (Matthew 16:25-26, New Living Translation)

Although Michael had the adoration, riches and success of the world, it couldn't give him happiness. He tried desperately to stay a playful, innocent man-child even as he entered middle age. And ultimately, he died at a time nobody expected him to.

Michael was raised a Jehovah's Witness, and stories abound that even his abusive father wasn't even a good practicing JW. As an adult he explored the Nation of Islam, the Kabbalah, the New Age, Scientology, anything that would seemingly affirm his childlike but unbiblical and skewed view of the world. His later songs, including "Heal the World", "Will You Be There", "Childhood" and "Cry" were desperate calls for help out of the isolation surrounding him amidst his private zoo, amusement park and multiple platinum records.

The one word that keeps coming to mind on MJ's death is sad. It's just so sad that he died as he did, on the verge of much hyped comeback tour. Whether or not he is in heaven is not my right, nor anyone else's, to proclaim. Other self-righteous Christians on message boards all over the web have no problem condemning him to hell right away, but their legalistic view of justification by works instead of Christ's sacrifice blow their rants to smithereens.

Before many of us Christians came to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were a lot more like Michael Jackson than we would want to admit. We had hurts and abuses from our past, and we tried desperately in vain to fill that aching hole in our heart with all the world offers--wealth, fame, bling, fancy stuff, pleasure, maybe even so-called spirituality. Like Michael, we found all of the above wanting. But we finally found the One who alone could fill the void in our heart. Not only did he give us a ticket into heaven when we die, but also a purpose for living this life here on earth, and the peace to deal with all the trials and tribulations that this world throws at us.

Michael is survived by his parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson, his siblings including Janet and Jermaine, his ex-wives Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, and his children Prince, Paris and "Blanket" (Prince Michael II). Pray that God would provide his love, comfort and peace to them in this time of grief, and that they may all be open to the Good News of Jesus Christ.