Giving Up Popularity 6

GIVING UP POPULARITY

One thing that all of us humans have in common is a desire to be popular. Granted, the apex of this desire generally occurs during our high school years, but even adults have someone or some group they desire to be popular with. Remember back to high school and the pain associated with trying to fit in? Dressing just so. Trying to get in with the popular kids. Coveting the friendship of those deemed “popular”. Maybe it was the cheerleaders or the top athletes, or those who got the best grades and always seemed to win every award. Whatever the measure of acceptance or popularity was and is today, we strive to be part of it.

I had to change schools in seventh grade after my father passed away and seventh and eighth grades were very hard for me. I had no idea who anyone was, where they fit on the popularity scale or if I should associate with them. Luckily, I was a decent athlete, playing soccer, field hockey, basketball, and softball and fell into a very good group of like-minded individuals. It didn’t hurt that my new school considered athletics to be the best of the best, so by ninth grade all was right in my world. I fit in, people knew who I was and you might even say I was somewhat “popular”.  At the time it seemed pretty special, but looking back I would say it was a fleeting moment that did not last. Today I may keep marginally in touch with about three people from my high school days. I moved on, they moved on and my popularity with that group faded away pretty quickly. It did not last.   

This Lenten season we have been engaged with the process of giving up behaviors that can be destructive to our lives and that impede our faith walk with God. We have already looked at giving up control, expectations, superiority, enemies, and our lives, not just for the forty days of Lent, but for good. Today we look at giving up popularity. (even those who say it is not a driving force in their lives)

I want you to think of some of the traits that are associated with popularity and then think about Jesus’ life and ministry. You can see why when I say Jesus had to fight the urge to be popular, that it might just have been so. There were many situations and times where Jesus was the most sought-after person on the planet. Jesus was a great teacher, a great speaker and oh yeah, he even performed a few miracles, miracles which changed lives forever. People were healed of disease. People were set free from demons. People had their material needs met. People were brought back from the dead. Who wouldn’t be popular with this remarkable resume’? Unfortunately, Jesus’ popularity didn’t last either. 

You know the story well. It is what I just read in Matthew 21. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to adoring shouting crowds. “Hosanna to the Son of David”. Those oppressed by Roman rule were just waiting for this new king to arrive and free them from tyranny. He was a miracle worker after all! Jesus with his brash confidence and ability to go toe to toe with the Pharisees brought great hope to the masses. His ministry had captured the imagination and nourished the souls of all who followed him. Now was the time for their Jesus to claim his rightful throne, but little did they know it was a different kind of throne all together.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem the crowd put together an impromptu parade. They threw down their cloaks and branches cut from palm trees to make a way for Jesus. They shouted “Hosanna” You see, Hosanna is an exclamation of praise that literally means, “Help’ or save us.” You could say Jesus was at the apex of his popularity at that moment. As Matthew records in our lesson this morning, the whole city was stirred up about the arrival of Jesus. 

But what the people had missed in Jesus’ earthly ministry was the fact that Jesus only wanted to please God and do His will. Jesus had zero interest in gaining popularity among the crowds of people. Nowhere in the Bible do we see Jesus trying to please people. Nowhere in the Bible do we see Jesus trying to be “cool” or trying to fit in with everybody else. Jesus wanted things to happen according to the plan of His Father, not the masses of people assembled before Him.

I’m sure that Jesus found the welcome that morning to be uplifting and maybe even a bit heady, he was human after all and on that day the crowds loved Jesus. But, as I pointed out earlier, popularity is fleeting. Remember, just a few days later this same adoring crowd, egged on by the religious leaders would be crying, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” They had turned against Jesus to the point that they would rather have a murderer released and back on the street than have Jesus freed. Popularity and acclaim in the eyes of others is fleeting. This type of approval that many of us seek is fleeting.

There are many negative aspects to striving for earthly popularity. For example, if you believe your self-worth is tied to popularity you would be striving to reach an unattainable version of yourself. If you believe that you will be popular by pleasing everyone, all the time, well again, not attainable in this lifetime and you will drive yourself insane trying to make it happen. Lastly, if you believe that saying ‘yes’ to everyone, in every situation just so they will “like” you is the way to be popular, well, we will just leave that one right there. But know that trying to be a ‘yes’ person to everyone you meet will only lead to heartache and pain.

So, what is the answer? Well, Jesus being the wonderful teacher that he was, gave us the answer and Paul reiterated it in Galatians 1:10 when he asked the people “Are we seeking the favor of people or of God?” You see, in order to keep popularity in proper context we need to always focus on being right with God first and foremost. We need to ask ourselves over and over again if we are being faithful to God. If making ourselves popular among people causes us to ignore God’s commands’ we are not following the right path. Our loyalty to God must come before anything else. I beseech you to stand up for what is right, even if it’s not popular and put your faith in God’s unending and ever-present love. By doing this, we will enjoy God’s love and mercy today, tomorrow and on into eternity. It will certainly be that which sustains us through the current unprecedented times we are facing today. God is still in control and wants to be popular with each and every one of us! May it be so! AMEN.