Do You Want to Be Famous?
A reading for Thursday, August 28, 2014: John 7:14-36.
From where does this teaching come? The crowd wonders how Jesus could know so much, perhaps when they had never heard of him before. The question really is, "Why is Jesus not famous?" Even in the ancient world, there were teachers and leaders who were well known and what we would call famous. The crowd and even the Pharisees aren't sure what to do with Jesus. They don't understand his motives. They are trying to fit him into their own ideas about what's important.
Jesus isn't interested in fame for fame sake. Jesus is not seeking glory for self, but instead glory for God. "Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true." Faithfulness is what Jesus is about, and at the end we learn that Jesus already knows what that faithfulness will cost him. "I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me."
Truth is we still aren't sure what to do with Jesus and those who lead us in faith. We want our leaders to be well known, and perhaps even famous. Especially today in the age of self-promotion and social media there is great temptation to be glorified by others. Even those that aren't leaders or teachers of something new have a desire for the so-called 15 minutes of fame. Don't you want to be famous?
Perhaps today is a warning... If Jesus, who certainly deserved to be famous and well known wasn't interested in such fame and self-glory, then why would those of us who follow Jesus seek it? Let us too commit ourselves to "seek the glory of the One who sent Jesus." All else is false teaching.
From where does this teaching come? The crowd wonders how Jesus could know so much, perhaps when they had never heard of him before. The question really is, "Why is Jesus not famous?" Even in the ancient world, there were teachers and leaders who were well known and what we would call famous. The crowd and even the Pharisees aren't sure what to do with Jesus. They don't understand his motives. They are trying to fit him into their own ideas about what's important.
Jesus isn't interested in fame for fame sake. Jesus is not seeking glory for self, but instead glory for God. "Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true." Faithfulness is what Jesus is about, and at the end we learn that Jesus already knows what that faithfulness will cost him. "I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me."
Truth is we still aren't sure what to do with Jesus and those who lead us in faith. We want our leaders to be well known, and perhaps even famous. Especially today in the age of self-promotion and social media there is great temptation to be glorified by others. Even those that aren't leaders or teachers of something new have a desire for the so-called 15 minutes of fame. Don't you want to be famous?
Perhaps today is a warning... If Jesus, who certainly deserved to be famous and well known wasn't interested in such fame and self-glory, then why would those of us who follow Jesus seek it? Let us too commit ourselves to "seek the glory of the One who sent Jesus." All else is false teaching.
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