Humility in Trending Popularity

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 3:7-8

Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing.

(CSB)

Had Mark written his Gospel in the 21^st century, he might have said Jesus was trending.  When one is trending on social media today, the tendency is to bask in the popularity while it is there.  However, with Jesus we see humility in the middle of this trending popularity (Mark 3:7-10).

Word of Jesus previous miracles of healing a paralytic man (Mark 2:1-12) and a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6) have spread and without the benefit of social media.  While news spreading of the good works Jesus was performing appears beneficial on the surface, Jesus has a divine mission that requires events occurring according to God’s timing.  As such, Jesus needs to withdraw from the crowds and order the demons to stop declaring Him as Lord. 

While social media has its benefits through providing a means of connection over great distances, it can also give the appearance of one having fame and popularity when the post is something that trends.  Such instant popularity can lead to pride with one believing they have some special gift or ability.  Proverbs 16:18 reminds us that pride precedes a fall and something to avoid.  Mark 3:7-12 is therefore an example provided by Jesus, warning against allowing pride to enter ministry leading to a fall. 

Narcissism or the belief that it is all about me is a selfish and prideful philosophy.  Much of the divisiveness we observe in culture derives from narcissistic beliefs.  Each side of an issue believes their side is the best and the only view to consider.  This prideful belief ends any possibility of compromise or negotiation, leading to division and lack of cultural progress.  Social media posts that trend feed narcissism through providing the impression one’s view on an issue is trending.  It is time to use some biblical social media etiquette to end the spread of narcissism by God’s people through social media.  To accomplish this God’s people must,

1)      Wait on God (Isaiah 40:31) – Jesus could have used his popularity to start an uprising with the power to overthrow Israel’s Roman oppressors.  However, Jesus understood that his mission was the cross and dying for the sins of humanity.  It will not be till Jesus returns that he will sit on the throne as ruler (Revelation 19:11-16).  By humbly withdrawing from the crowds instead of seeking popularity, Jesus was waiting for God the Father’s plan to unfurl in God’s perfect timing. 

2)      Stay on Mission (Matthew 28:19-20) – The message of the Gospel is both servant and other centered on Christ.  The call of the church is not to seek blessings and good feelings from God but to share the Gospel message that God came to provide redemption to fallen humanity.  Ministries in many churches today do not preach about sin and the need for humanity to repent of their sins.  John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord, declare who Jesus was, and get out of the way so Jesus could minister (Luke 3:3; John 1:29; John 3:30).  The Church must take on the role of John the Baptist in these later days by preparing itself through repentance and learning sound doctrine, declare the truth of God’s Word, and then allow God to minister through the Holy Spirit. 

3)      Do all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) – When a Church begins to focus on maintaining a facility and providing entertainment and good feelings for its members, it can lose the focus of doing all for the glory of God.  The context of 1 Corinthians 10:31 is a warning against idolatry and abuse of Christian liberty.  Narcissism is a form of idolatry with the church or pastor the idol of worship.  The Corinthian church was guilty of leader worship fueling narcissistic leader behavior that created divisions in the Church (1 Corinthians 1:10-17).  The unifying force in the church is Christ which happens when everything in the church focuses on glorifying God. 

Since salvation is a result of God’s grace and not our efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9), pride in one’s good works is meaningless.  The church and those in ministry must guard against narcissism by waiting on God’s perfect timing, staying on mission of declaring the truth of the Gospel, and doing all for the Glory of God.  To do this the Church must prepare through repentance, declare God’s truth from the pulpit, and get out of the way allowing the Spirit of God to work.