In this episode, Bryce talks to MTV Jesse about Christianity and why Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
Chapter 1: Who is MTV Jesse and how did he get his nickname?
What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford Podcast. I'm Bryce, and today, I have an awesome guest on today. We have MTV Jesse on. How's it going? That's the only thing I really know how to call you by, MTV Jesse. What's your last name? Sebastiani. Sebastiani. Yeah, super Italian. Wait, so what's your Instagram handle, MTV Jesse?
Uh, I had a, my first like thing I did when I was like 15, I had an MTV show in Canada and it was like a wannabe jackass type. No way. Like stunt show. And, uh, did that for a year. And I think I literally made my Instagram handle that. At the time, just like, I was like 15. I was just like, oh, like people will be able to find me because it'll be like, that's the Jesse guy from the show MTV.
I was just like, and then I just left it as like, kind of became like this kind of nickname.
It's like a staple.
Yeah. Dang. That's so, that's so interesting. I feel like a lot of people don't know your last name. No. Yeah.
Do you like that?
Yeah, I think so. I've thought of that as I got older and was like, oh, should I change this eventually? And I was like, maybe it's nice to just have a nickname, you know, like have a fucking nickname. Not many people know my real name.
Well, I felt bad because I didn't know your last name. But then I was like, everyone knows you as MTV Jesse, not Jesse Sebastiani. Now we know now. So I kind of felt bad. But I'm glad that you think it's cool. So that makes me feel better. Well, thanks for coming on. Dude, of course. I'm pumped. I was super stoked when you said you would come on the pod.
I'm just pumped to learn about you and talk about some things. So I think it's going to be good, but I just want to know like where you're from, how you grew up, how you were raised, which, what were some challenges you faced growing up? Things like that.
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Chapter 2: What challenges did MTV Jesse face growing up?
Cool. I mean, I was, I'm from Canada originally and, uh, grew up like in the sticks real North of like Toronto, Ontario, real small town, like to the point where it was like, I think it was called like a Hamlet. It was so small. Um, and, uh,
loved it i think it's a great way for people to grow up yeah um and uh but but really since i was a kid not to just jump right into it but like since i was a kid i've always like
of had big dreams i saw like a bigger picture i really didn't like the idea of just like falling in line of like get a job get married do this like i just like and i didn't have many people where i grew up to like relate to that especially when it came to internet and uh um and it took a while to like really figure that out but it wasn't until i came out to california and like
like it just happens so quick when you're out here. Such a change that I just like, it's funny to have that dream and then you come out here and it's like actually like that. And I think it really just came down to like, people having similar dreams, you know? And just you try to have those conversations back home and they wouldn't really go anywhere.
And then when I came out here, I just felt like, dude, it's like you're at a coffee shop, you're at whatever it was. It's just like, you can talk about like YouTube or this or like a TV show or that. Like everyone was trying to create something. I don't know if LA kind of lost that a little bit, but like when I came here, it was like, I got a little taste of that. That was really cool.
that was encouraging for you because that was your passion and not a lot of people in your small town like that.
Yeah. It was almost in like, I almost just thought like you almost felt like an outsider back home. You were like, Oh, like, like this isn't cool to think this way or to like, like think outside of like working for your dad's farm or some shit, you know?
Yeah. Dang.
So you grew up like on a farm. Yeah. Yeah. It was like a 150 year old farmhouse. My mom rented, um, and, uh, they like would bail hay and do all that. And sometimes me and my brother would help out to pay for rent. And then like, but it was like the true experience. Like we didn't own our own farm or do any of that, but like, um, definitely was around all that, you know?
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Chapter 3: How did MTV Jesse's upbringing influence his views on religion?
And I like, I will, it'll change like my decision-making if like a sign, something like stands out. Like, why did this, why am I seeing that? Why am I hearing that? For sure. What, what's that connected to like today? Cause like I had one that was like, sorry, I don't want to just go on a ramp, but like, like one that happened today at the gym that,
was trying to see what it's connected to and it might even be connected to like this podcast and this conversation especially around like religion because like i've never been religious my whole life and i think i almost created an identity around not being religious a little bit and um in like the last like year in my life it's been the most i've been like
open-minded to it and trying to have more of a clean slate and not like certain things I've just like kept in my head or said that I'm like I'm this way and this is the way I think like I'm trying to really just be like Welcoming to anything, you know? Yeah But like never forcing it if that makes sense to just kind of like following my nose.
Yeah, but I was watching this like Oscars clip today where Conan O'Brien had this whole bit of like not wasting your time. And he made a whole song and dance about it. And he just kept saying like, I'm not going to waste your time. Don't waste your time. Don't waste your time. He's like, there's a whole inside joke of it. And then I took my headphones off and I'm like laughing at it.
And right as I take my headphones off, this guy that was doing this like class.
like literally right as i cut off he said okay guys don't waste your time and then like starts his class yeah and i was just like like what's like that's one of those ones where i'm like what's the what's the chances of that you know and it whatever it is is like it made it so that i like really stuck with me like this guy's singing this song to me just keeps repeating those words and i take it off and then another guy who's not connected to this at all just says it again yeah and
How am I not supposed to take that as like something or someone is trying to say like, yo, don't waste your time. And I don't know. So it made me think of that. Where do you think those signs come from? For me, that's where it gets tricky to understand. I think I'm a very logical person.
person like I might the way my brain works like I think I call bullshit on a lot of stuff I think anything that like feels good or sounds good my mind wants to call bullshit on it does that make sense I've said this to other people but like and I'm like and I haven't really got like people to connect on it but that's kind of like an issue I've had with religion and like letting myself into religion too it's like if something just feels
too good to like help you i didn't know this is going to sound really wrong or like really bad but like it's like Of course, that's why people would want to do this or believe this. You know what I mean?
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Chapter 4: How did Bryce Crawford's religious experience shape his faith?
And it was almost like this understanding of, okay, like I can, you know, your friends, family, and people that know you can fill in the picture about Jesse. Some good things, some bad things, right? But if I really want to know Jesse, I would hang out with you right now. We would talk. We'd get meals together. Maybe, you know, play basketball, whatever.
And that's when I would get to really know who Jesse is. So I was like, well, maybe I don't really know who God is. And so I kind of freaked out because I had this weird supernatural encounter, spiritual moment. And I kind of ran to my car and I'm crying. And I said, OK, Jesus, if you're real, take away my anxiety and depression, because this is the whole reason why I want to take my life.
So if you really care about me, take this away. I haven't had anxiety or depression since that day. And so that was my entry point into Christianity. Okay, I didn't ask Buddha. I didn't ask Allah. I didn't read a self-help book. I didn't do any of that stuff. I specifically asked Jesus to take it away, and he did. And so that was my entry point.
So I think people believe things not only for emotional evidence or experiential evidence, but also for logical evidence. And so through that entry point, I began to look at who's this Jesus guy, not just from like, oh, I'm trying to pass a quiz or test in my Bible class in my Christian school.
I was like, okay, I'm actually looking at this because I want to know if this guy really is who he says he is. And that's when I went into the entry point of like researching his teachings and his life and if this guy really was who he says he is.
Like nowadays you don't really hear, like, I mean, you do kind of hear like, oh, Jesus wasn't a real person, but it's kind of a foolish thing to say because outside of the Bible, there's so much historical evidence that he was a real guy. So the issue wasn't now is, oh, was Jesus real? It's, is he God?
That's the whole foundational thing about Christianity is, was this man who walked the earth really God? Because if he was really God, then it kind of demolishes everything else and everything. And then it means like it's the cornerstone of our belief. Like, was Jesus really God? Did he raise from the dead in his physical body? If that happened, then he's the truth.
If Jesus did nothing but die, then he's no different than you and me. So it's interesting how like you're.
For some reason, it's such a big thing, religion or God. It's this massive thing. But the way that you, it seems like you let in and asked him for help in that moment. But what made you do that was hearing someone... You compared it to someone talking about, I can't even say a wife or a girlfriend problem. But like...
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Chapter 5: Why does Bryce believe in the God of Christianity?
And if I love Jesus, I'm going to not do certain things. And I am going to do certain things because I care about him. And I think he's beautiful and magnificent. He's amazing. And he's who I want to be like. And he calls people to be like him. And so that is like... That is why Christianity offers something that's not like a structured religion. It's this relationship.
Jesus is like, hey, follow me. What he's saying is like, spend time with me. And when you spend time with me, you will become more like me. So almost like how you look up to an idol or a big brother or like, yeah, like you're just or even your friends. Right. Yeah. Like who you surround yourself with is often who you become.
And so, like, I don't know, you know, if there are times in your life when you were hanging out with the wrong crowd, you were doing wrong things. You can go, OK, well, maybe they had a big part of it. OK, well, when I spend time with Jesus and I read the Bible, I'm like, OK, I'm more like him.
And sometimes the Bible is intimidating and I'm like, I'm not going to understand this whole thing and things like that. And I feel like that. And then I have to remind myself like, okay, this Bible is a love letter God wrote to me to show me how he intended me to live. And to show me the knucklehead mistakes other people have made.
and how to steer away from those mistakes, and to show me how to live my life, and it's been a beautiful way to perceive the Bible instead of this rule of cage. It's like, all right, Jesse, if you don't do this stuff, you're a bad human being, and that's it. Like, okay, sure, but there's also this aspect of, that's not encouraging at all.
no then jesus it's almost like being on a diet and then you eat in and out and then you're like oh well i my whole diet then like yes you know i mean like yeah if that's kind of what you're saying is like the idea of like you you commit a sin and then you're like well i'm already like now i don't care about any of this kind of thing is is there like a piece like a book or something that
if I'm interested in it, like that you would be like, Hey, I would, this one really hit me for like opening my eyes to like some stuff. Like, is there something you would recommend?
I think in the Bible, the book in the Bible that I love the most is the book of John. So there's four gospels. Like a bunch of people think this Bible is like the spiritual book. It's a, it's, it's like a history book. Like it's stuff written in there is legit history. Oh, so it's just like what happened? There's a lot of that.
There's a lot of like, so then you have like Psalms and Proverbs, which is like Psalms is a guy named King David where he writes like prayers and songs to God, Proverbs, the wisest guy ever lived, King Solomon, he's writing wisdom.
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Chapter 6: What is the significance of Jesus in Christianity according to Bryce?
I'll pay the price. He didn't have to suffer, be the sacrifice, but he chose to for everyone else.
He didn't have to. He chose to. Love's a choice. And that's why the love's genuine. Sorry to cut you off. No, keep going. But be like Jesus. Like in that. Yeah. If Jesus forced you to love him, it wouldn't be genuine.
Mm-hmm.
That's like a dictator. Yeah. Like in North Korea, Kim Jong-un forces everyone to love Kim Jong-un. Yeah. Whether they feel like it or not. That's not love. That's a dictatorship. Apparently it doesn't poop either. Yeah. It's not love. No. And yeah. I mean, that's just it. It's really like love. Motivates everything and makes it genuine. And God just respects the choice that we make.
Yeah.
The...
i'm trying to just be very aware of like whatever does stick out to me i think it's always like my like what what what do you get out of it and like uh yeah be like jesus is definitely like the thing that's uh yeah the most interesting or the most like it's like yeah it's connecting to me for sure it's like a less about believing in my mind right now and more about like
I live a lot of my life on like based on who I look up to or what inspires me and all these things. And that's like an interesting way for me to like go about it. Yeah. You know, just like learn about that man and then like try to be like that man. Sounds like a cool way to enter that door, you know?
Yeah, absolutely. Like the faith. If you really believed in Jesus, like if you tried to be like Jesus. Yeah. You would have faith that he really is who he says he is. Yeah. So why would you listen to Jesus over Mother Teresa? Or why would you listen to Jesus over Gandhi? Or why would you listen to Jesus over this guy or this guy or this guy or your own feelings? Yeah.
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Chapter 7: How does Bryce explain the relationship between Jesus and sinners?
So, so like, is that a, so then that's, that's like every religion's POV of eternal life. So like is be as good as you can. And maybe, Be as good as you can and maybe it'll be enough. So when I talk to my Muslim friends or my Hindu friends or my Buddhist friends that are working to enlightenment or working to please Allah, they never know if they're doing enough. They never know.
And that's the ultimate goal. You can never do enough. So I will never do enough that's going to make God love me. That's why it's like our good works, the Bible says, are like filthy rags to God. Meaning you can't make me love you more just by doing good stuff. You do things for me because you love me.
Yeah. And so then it's in a way you're not like not going to do these things because they're worthless, but you're going to like continue to do as much as you can to try to be useful, like it are worthy in a way.
Yeah, like Jesus himself, he makes us worthy. It's such a hard thing to comprehend. I have a hard time comprehending it sometimes because we live in a life where everything's a mathematics equation. We live in this constant state of worthiness where it's like, I'm only worthy if I do X, Y, and Z. And if I don't do these things, I'm not valuable. So that is transactional.
Whereas God offers this new thing called grace. Grace is a gift that isn't deserved. So it's like Jesus is offering this lifestyle where he's like, okay, I'm going to give you something that you don't deserve. My own love. You don't deserve it. I'm perfect. You're not. You don't deserve my perfect love, but I'm going to give it to you because I love you.
And now I do good things, not because I'm trying to make God love me more. I do things because I already love him. And that's my motivating factor. So then Jesus becomes my strength. And so becoming more like Jesus is because, oh, well he did it. And man, I love Jesus. So I want to do what Jesus did because I love him.
It's like people that look up to you, Jesse, like people don't do things because they think that, oh, if I do the things that Jesse does, then Jesse's going to love me more. It's like, you love people when they're their self. And they do the things that they love. But the reason that someone would be like you is because they actually love what you do and they share the same passions as you.
So they would maybe do things differently or they would look up to you or maybe kind of chase a similar dream because they're doing what they love. They're motivated by love. Do you love doing your clothing brand? Yeah, of course. Okay, you do it because you love it. Exactly.
Like it's the same reason why you show up to work every day, why you wake up and why you get fired up about your clothing brand. It's because you love it. And you love the work environment and you're actually doing something you love. Right. And I mean, all the time on college campuses and a lot of my friends that go to college, like I'll go, I'll go and like see some of our friends.
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Chapter 8: What resources does Bryce recommend for exploring Christianity?
And then if they put their faith in Christ and they look at the Bible and they see what this is and they would go, okay, well, if I really believe that Jesus is God, then I'm gonna stop having sex three times a day, and I'm gonna wait to commit myself to someone, and then when I marry them, I'm gonna save sex for that. You see what I'm getting?
There's a standard, I just use that as an example because That is what Jesus will do to you. He'll change what you thought was right to what actually is right because God has a design and an intentional purpose and origin and things like that for his creation. Yeah. Yeah, if that makes sense. It does, yeah.
100%.
I think... Yeah, I have a lot of respect, and I think it's very noble that you're willing to be open and talk about things that you're working through.
Yeah, dude, I appreciate you having this conversation with me, man.
Yeah, bro, we can have more not on camera. You got my number and stuff, so we can chat. Dude, I'm down. Yeah, thanks for coming on, bro. I appreciate you. Of course, man.
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Should I partner with them in prayer? Should I partner with them in finances? Should I partner with them in support? Whatever it may be, pray and ask God, how should I support Jesus in the street ministry? Love you guys. See you guys next week for the next episode.
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