Jesus is … my home boy!

Although you have probably heard this before and may think it is a little too corny for your liking, it’s true. Jesus is my home boy, and Jesus is your home boy.

The phrase ‘Jesus is my home boy” originated all the way back in the 1980s, when young Texan man, Van Zan Frater, was set upon by a young street gang.

Beaten, broken and bound for execution, Zan Frater was pleading for his life to the group of men standing over him. Praying to God, he pulled on last ounce of strength to say “Jesus is My Home Boy”. Whilst the crowd around him was taken aback by his words, he continued, “Jesus is your home boy, and Jesus is your home boy, and Jesus is your home boy”.

The power behind those words saved the life of Zan Frater in that moment, with the group of thugs leaving him be. But why? Why is saying that some man, who lived so long ago, is your home boy such a powerful thing? What does it mean for Jesus to be your home boy?

Now a home boy is someone who you trust. Someone who’s got your back.

“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Jesus has our back. He’s taken the bullet for us. He DIED for us, even though people continue to reject, badmouth and betray him, because he loves us. He died one of the most horrific deaths imaginable, in our place. He laid down his life for us.

And why?

Because Jesus is my home boy.

Josh Hayward was a Youthworks trainee at St Michael’s Cathedral, Wollongongand now serves at Christ Church, St Ives.