Read Mark 7:24-37
“He entered a house and did not want anyone to notice he was there.” – Mark 7:24
The zoo-like atmosphere of media day is a product of our obsession with celebrity. Most of the year, football press conferences go largely unnoticed by non-sports media. But on Super Bowl Media Day, journalists and television clowns of all types show up to get precious sound bites from players and coaches. All to feed the public’s desire to “know” and even worship celebrities.
Many of the players will be prepared to answer questions in a particular way. Everything they say and do today will be for the purpose of shaping public perception of themselves. Usually, we are able to tell whether someone is being genuine, or if they’re trying to hard to be well-liked.
What are our motivations for following Christ? Is it because we want to be viewed as “good Christian folk”? Is it to attract the attention of television cameras and newspaper reporters? Or do we follow the example of Jesus, who engaged in ministry for a much greater reason?
In these two healing accounts, Jesus tried to keep news of his ministry on the DL. He was not in ministry for the attention. He was not worried about the public perception of what he was doing. Instead, he concerned himself with meeting the needs of hurting people. He tried to escape media attention, but word got out anyway. And that’s how people knew he was different from the street magicians of the day, who performed healings for their entertainment value. This man named Jesus didn’t want attention, but the things he was doing were so great that despite his best efforts, people took notice.
Are we seeking to entertain? Are we in ministry to be noticed at a public press conference? Or are we doing God’s work in privacy, caring not whether we attract any attention at all? When the lights are off and the cameras are pointed at someone else, what are we doing that will make a true difference in this world?
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