Jesus and Fame

I thought it a very beautiful thing in John ch. 2 when Jesus turned the water into wine. Here He was, one of many guests at a wedding feast, probably unnoticed in the crowd, when He did this beautiful, generous and kind miracle unknown to anyone but the servants and a few close acquaintances. The grace and humility in his contentment to remain anonymous for this deed was profound. I know people like that. They are full of good works and are perfectly happy if nobody knows a thing.

The passage immediately following the miracle in Cana stands in stark contrast. Here we see Jesus in a completely different light. He patiently braided together a whip with many small strands, then took it into the temple and immediately became a public figure, a spectacle if you will, by overturning tables, knocking things over, and running out the crooks who had set up operations there. The Bible doesn't say if anyone took a hit off that whip, but there's no doubt it was put into use and those guys had a healthy respect for it. This wasn't a hasty action. It was meticulous and planned. And Jesus knew He was essentially pasting a bulls eye on Himself for the rest of His ministry.

A lot of times we think of being Christlike only in terms of the miracle at Cana - good deeds without recognition. I think sometimes we neglect the other side of the coin, that being Christlike requires a willingness to be seen and known.

To Jesus recognition didn't matter. If no one knew, that was fine with Him. Fact is, many times He told people to keep things mum. Yet when He needed to be in the limelight, He didn't shy away from either popularity or unpopularity. All that mattered was bringing glory to His Father.

I once asked a lady to help in a presentation that would essentially bring the gospel to a secular venue. She is known for her quiet good works and I expected her to happily respond to such a great opportunity. It wasn't the case though . . . "I could never have people look at me!"

Jesus wasn't like that. His sinlessness was shown in that He needed no recognition for what He did, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, was perfectly OK with being thrust into the limelight. The underlying factor that made both possible was that He had a greater purpose.

How am I doing? I don't know. I like a pat on the back when I do something good. That's pride. There have been times when I've enjoyed the limelight. That's pride as well. The truth is, both extremes reveal sinful nature. "Look at me" and "Don't look at me" both reveal pride, because both are about "me". True Christlikeness is revealed in obedience that is equally willing to be anonymous or famous, popular or unpopular.

Obedience/ dying to self is the key. Jesus became obedient to death, and if I present myself a living sacrifice today, the Glory of my God is the only thing that matters. I want to be like Jesus that way.