Pac-Man, the arcade game that seemed ubiquitous when I was a child, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. I’m not exactly sure which is harder to believe – that the game has been around that long or that I am getting that old!
The programmer of the game, Toru Iwatani, recently revealed some interesting secrets about the game. He stated that three of the four ghosts chasing Pac-Man around the maze were not keyed directly on the little yellow gobbler. To achieve the random “cleverness” of the ghosts, Iwatani gave each of them specific goals. One was aiming for a point 32 pixels in front of Pac-Man’s mouth, another was seeking a different point relative to Pac-Man, and a third was moving in a completely random fashion in his quest for nothingness (that one was the orange ghost “Clyde” – remember him?). Only the red ghost “Blinky” was aimed directly at Pac-Man and pursued him wherever he went.
In Mark 10, we meet several people and discover how they each exhibited their relationship in regard to Jesus:
- The Pharisees trying to trap Jesus in their legalistic snares
- The so-called rich young ruler who, even though he was near to the Kingdom of God and “only lacking one thing,” was still an eternity away from the heart of Jesus
- The apostles who, while near to Jesus physically and under his teaching everyday, were still missing His Kingdom composed only of those with a child-like faith
- James and John who, although taking up two of the three spots in Jesus’ inner circle of leadership and discipleship, still prized holding onto position instead of letting go in submission.
Interestingly enough, in Mark 10 only the blind beggar Bartimaeus got it. He would not let anything deter him from a touch of the Master’s hand. And when Jesus healed him, his way became Jesus’ way as he “followed Jesus along the road.” The only faithful and true pursuer of Jesus in Mark 10 was “Blinky” Bartimaeus. He was honed in, passionately pursing the Person and the way of Jesus – pixel for pixel.
What kind of “ghost” are you?
