I’ll bet that for many of us, car chases on TV shows or in films are a guilty pleasure.

There’s invariably a suspenseful moment where it looks like the bad guys have the heroes at their mercy: they’re coming at the protagonists head-on. The good guys are forced to throw their car into reverse to escape their pursuers.

It seems like the baddies have the upper hand, because our heroes are at the disadvantage of driving backwards.

But then comes the thrilling moment when the good guys make a 180-degree reverse turn, spin their car around, and peel off facing forwards without losing any speed. The bad guys are left in the dust.

Our heroes have just performed a “J-turn.”

This evasive driving technique is a staple of almost every action film with a car-chase scene. It was made famous in the old detective show “The Rockford Files,” in which it was Jim Rockford’s signature maneuver. The J-turn is also called the “reverse 180” or simply “The Rockford Turn.”

The master of J-turns in the Bible was none other than Jesus.

Although he never drove a car, Jesus was adept at rescuing people by suddenly reversing their situation.

It would look like Satan had someone in his clutches: they were backed into a corner with no way of escape.

Then Jesus would show up and turn the whole show around.

Think of the case of Lazarus. Jesus had been told that Lazarus was very sick, but he arrived several days too late to heal his friend. Lazarus had died, had been bound in grave clothes and was already sealed in a tomb.

So Jesus performed his signature maneuver: the J-turn.

He resurrected Lazarus and called him forth from the tomb. The astonished onlookers had to unwrap the grave clothes from him, perhaps the same people who had wrapped his dead body up a few days earlier.

Jesus essentially performed a reverse funeral!

The gospels abound with other stories of Jesus stepping into someone’s suffering or tragedy and effecting a turnaround in their situation.

People were healed, captives were liberated, souls were set free.

They escaped the clutches of their pursuer (Satan) as Jesus performed a nimble J-turn, and they zoomed off into freedom.

Jesus knows maneuvers we can only dream about.

So get on board with Him. You’re safe with Him in the driver’s seat.

And it’ll be a thrilling ride!

© 2024 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.