Spreading the Faith with Jesus Figures

Susan Ciancio explains what she learned from her Lenten promise to bring the joy of Christ to her community. 

This Lent, in addition to giving up coffee and reading a book to help deepen my relationship with God, I thought I would also try something fun. Several weeks ago, I saw a video created by a couple of young people who had purchased a bag of one-inch Jesus figures and left them in random places all over their town. The video showed their excitement and offered hope that others would see this as a fun way to think about Christ. 

It seemed like a terrific way to remind people that Jesus is always with us, so I bought a bag of 100 and challenged myself throughout Lent to put them everywhere I went — from the grocery store to church to restaurants to doctors’ offices. 

Leaving these figures around brought me great joy, and in so doing, I learned three important things. 

We Should Never Be Afraid to Live our Faith 

Throughout the Bible, God tells us to have no fear because He is always with us. Sometimes we tend to forget this, to wonder where He is, or to stay silent when we should speak of His goodness. I put Him front and center in public places so that people would see Him and remember to put Him front and center in their lives.  

When no one is nearby, it doesn’t take much courage to place a Jesus figure where it can be easily found. But what happens when you do it right in front of someone? I wondered if I would feel embarrassed or silly or if someone would confront me, so I listened to God’s voice telling me to not be afraid, and I just started boldly leaving them around. After all, boldly is how we should live our faith.  

I found that most people weren’t even paying attention or that they were oblivious — locked in their own thoughts or face down in their phones. But the one person who saw simply smiled at me. I hope it made his day a little brighter. 

It's a Clever Way to Make People Think About the True Nature of God 

On the base of the figure, there is enough room to reference a Bible verse with a book name and chapter number (if you write small and it’s a short name!), so I did. I alternated between John 6:35, where Jesus said to the crowd following Him, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst,” and John 6:51, where Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”  

I chose these particular verses because I wanted people to look them up and to then contemplate the fact that Jesus gave Himself to us and is truly present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not merely a symbol of Christ; it is Christ. 

I Felt like I Was Planting a Seed 

One time, I put the Jesus figure on a case of bottled water in a grocery store. He was very prominent, and anyone going for water would have seen Him. Why on water? When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her,

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13b-14)

Jesus is the living water. I hoped that whoever saw Him there would understand the reference. 

I passed by that stack of water just a few minutes later, and the little figure was gone. It made me happy to know that someone took it, hopefully with a smile on their face and the understanding that Christ is the living water that we thirst for. 

It has been incredibly fun to leave these little figures everywhere, and I may purchase another package to keep the fun going. I’d like to think that these figures have blessed many people and brought the joy we all need as we trust in God’s infinite love and prepare for His Resurrection.  

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Copyright 2025 Susan Ciancio
Images: copyright 2025 Susan Ciancio, all rights reserved.