Private Relations Series

Our culture admires publicity. People are famous just for being famous. We grow up watching people who command the public eye; we call them stars. They are the people with money, fame, position, power and recognition. They are held up by the media as larger than life, people to be envied. We imagine that if we could only have that same kind of public attention we’d be happy. People sell their most intimate family secrets for 15 minutes of fame on daytime talk shows. And although The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous has bitten the dust, it’s been replaced by the voyeurism catered to by social media like Twitter and Instagram, not to mention the 24-hour news networks... What would you do to get on TV?

Now, people have always wanted to know about the lives of the privileged, the rich, the nobility, as if by knowing how they lived some of the stardust would rub off. There’s a song from Camelot, “I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight” that pokes fun at that universal human tendency. And although there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with being curious about how other people live, curiosity all too easily slips into envy, and from envy into anger and resentment. Today’s obsession with the top 1% is the subject of another sermon. But even people who are actually quite comfortable can lose their sense of gratitude if they compare what they have with Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. Sometimes of course, the reason we are fascinated by this is that we would very much like to stop worrying about the mortgage. But sometimes it’s the public recogni-tion that we covet. For some reason we feel that it would be great to be recognized, to get VIP treatment in restaurants and airports. It’s as if we don’t feel we matter unless other people affirm our existence and worth.

There’s something in most of us that makes us vulnerable to the notion that applause makes us especially valuable. That something often looks like pride. It looks like pride to demand that others publicly acknowledge the fact that we’re above the com-mon herd. But it isn’t pride, really. It’s a kind of insecurity, when you stop to think about it. Some people are unable to believe that they’re worth anything at all unless they get a constant stream of affirmation - even from perfect strangers. And the more uncertain you are about your own worth, the more important it becomes to get valida-tion from others. A lot of actors and performers become addicted to this feedback; many may even have gone into the business of performance because that applause feeds a lack in their own souls. Far too many people believe that their self worth would be enhanced if only lots of people would admire them or at least pay attention to them. We imagine that we would feel better about ourselves if only we were on TV or the front page of the newspaper. The entertainment or sports section, please, not the crime report! Although jail time doesn’t seem to cast a very long shadow these days; just ask Martha Stewart.

But seriously, is fame all it’s cracked up to be? And furthermore, could we handle it? Would it really be good for us, or would it destroy us? A lot of people promise God that they wouldn’t change - really - if they won the lottery. But do you really believe that’s true? More to the point, would we be more useful to God if we were famous? Does God get more bang for the buck by using the powerful, beautiful people? I think if we’re honest with ourselves we would have to say, “No.” Remember what Jesus said about it being easier for the rich man to get through the eye of a needle than into heaven? It’s still true. And the same thing is true of being famous.

And besides, being rich and famous doesn’t do a thing for the basic problem of not feeling important, or worth-while. The problem with this kind of poverty of spirit is that is doesn’t lead to dependence on God. So, given the basic fact that being rich or famous is actually a barrier to being useful to God, the question to ask ourselves is: “Do I want God’s approval or the world’s?” Sometimes you can have both, but not often. And the people who get both usually start out by telling the world to take a hike. Look at Mother Teresa. The single-minded servant of God will, occasionally, gain the reluctant approval of the world. But it doesn’t work the other way around. And it’s much more usual that those who stand for Jesus Christ will face opposition and ridicule and even active persecution.

In today’s passage, Jesus deals with this desire we humans have for applause. Most of the Sermon on the Mount deals with how our relationship with God is reflected in our treatment of people. But this bit looks at how our relationships with people impact our relationship with God. Jesus shows us that if we get this wrong, we can really wreck our spiritual lives. Not only that, it can wreck our spiritual future.