Ok, everytime I watch 24, I get motivated to serve Jesus even more. Is that a sick perversion of ministry or something? A guy threatens to poke some bad guys eye out until he spills his guts (perhaps literally?) and then I get excited about Jesus!
I admit I'm easily exciteable, but honestly think about it. Jack is our society's quintessential hero-type. He is sold out to the good of his country, tries to maintain his family or love life (not counting his prior infidelitites), and is willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice--even be tortured--to save the whole country or world. He's like, "I'm not with CTU. I'll go get Cummings!" and we all scream and yell.
I think it makes me think of Jesus and Paul and every other sold out missionary to the world--willing to die to self for the life of others, willing to not simply hate evil, but destroy it. The Israelites were called to literally exterminate the Canaanite pagans (despite our modern distaste for those accounts). The New Testament fulfillment-parallel is the command to "put to death" the the works of flesh (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5).
When we see the passionate commitment of Bauer, we want a hero who will likewise die for us, to save us, even if we can't witness it personally. There's also a part of us who wants to also ravage evil.
Doesn't this sound like Jesus? Doesn't this sound like the call to be missionaries in a evil world order, where we are sheep among wolves? We need pastors who will serve like Jack Bauer, or better and truer...like Jesus.
