Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.’ After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.” (John 7:1-9 NIV)
Sam and Nia, a Christian couple whose YouTube videos (1) (2) about their pregnancy and, subsequently, their miscarriage went viral now are experiencing the downside of that experience. It turns out that several years ago Sam signed up with the infamous website, Ashley Madison, which provides opportunities to have adulterous affairs, and, thanks to a hacker group which released a list of names and other information of those who created accounts on the site, now everyone knows about that, too. Sam and Nia created another video explaining this was an offense of the past and they had long ago dealt with it as a couple.
The desire to be known, to be famous, has been around for most of history. The human tendency is to admire and, sometimes, to worship those who are famous. Thus, the appeal. Pride leads us to want to be admired and even worshipped, though we know the latter is reserved for the very few. That is why “celebrity” magazines and television shows, like those about the Kardashians, maintain their popularity. People are enthralled by their lives and fantasize what it would be like to be famous and getting all of that attention. Now, in the age of social media, the opportunity to be famous is no longer limited to those with good looks or good connections. “Going viral” is the new doorway to fame and fortune and lots of folks are pursuing it.
I have been thinking about this over the past several years as this phenomenon has continued to grow. And to coin a cliché of the 90’s: What would Jesus do? And, as His followers, how are we to respond to this growing pursuit of internet fame? One thing seems abundantly clear from the life of Jesus: He never pursued fame; rather, it came to Him. He often sought to get away from the crowds and to be alone or just with His disciples. (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:32; Luke 4:42) One of the temptations offered up by Satan was adoration and worship from the masses (Luke 4:5-8). And in this passage, when His brothers urged Him to pursue the spotlight, He resisted and John implies their pleadings revealed their lack of faith.
My conclusion: If He had lived today, Jesus would never have sought to go viral. Of course, He likely would have, but He would never have sought it for Himself. And here is why I think this. Jesus knew the danger of pride and that is why the devil tempted Him with it. Pride turns the focus onto ourselves. It puts us at the center of life. Jesus always pointed people to the Father. It may be true that Jesus’ brothers had the best of intentions with their advice, but seeking fame, even for the most altruistic reasons, perhaps like Sam and Nia, is dangerous because ultimately we will find the pull to put the attention on us.
According to Satan, Jesus could have had everything under His control and the focus completely on Him. But there was a catch. He had to bow down and worship him. That should be the huge neon WARNING! sign flashing in our brains. If even Jesus turned down the opportunity to pursue fame and glory because the price was to submit Himself to the kingdom of darkness, perhaps we should think long and hard about that same pursuit.
Today, if you find “going viral” alluring, remember the example of Jesus. If He saw the need to resist the temptation of pursuing fame, it would be wise for you to heed His example.
© Jim Musser 2015
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