A Review

In our last Bible study (One God, lesson #41), we learned how Jesus ministered. He did it in such a way as to avoid fame. Let’s review some points about that. Some of the key take-aways include:

• Jesus’ approach to ministry was to avoid applause.

• He sought personal experiences for people, not his own popularity.

• Jesus always tries to give the Father the glory.

• He told people who witnessed his miracles ‘not to tell anyone’ (Mark 7:36).

• Jesus hushed people who saw his miracles, but sometimes ‘… the more he ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it’ (Mark 7:36).

• Jesus sometimes failed to lead people to give God the glory.

• People even today refuse to heed Jesus and won't give God the glory.

We’ve read a few Bible stories to examine Jesus’ ministry approach. Now, let’s read another: the story of Jairus. Again, you'll notice Jesus' efforts to glorify God, and you'll also notice that he failed in the attempt. People would not follow his directions.

Jairus’ House

Before we read the story let’s consider what a synagogue ruler did because Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum. So, ruler was the Hebrew equivalent for today's term "director." Being a ruler meant that Jairus had at least four roles.

He was responsible for:

(1) safeguarding very valuable scrolls (like a librarian),

(2) upkeep of the synagogue building (like a janitor/handyman),

(3) choosing a weekly speaker (like the POC), and

(4) administering meetings—including the holiday celebrations Jewish communities love so much. So he was a town festivities coordinator.

Now that we know about Jairus' many jobs, let's read the story. We'll pick up right after the death of Jairus' beloved twelve-year-old daughter.

The Bible tells us that:

[Jesus] …went in [to Jairus’ house] and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old).

At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat (Mark 5:39-43).

Still Haven’t Found

Astonishing story, isn’t it? But don’t get distracted by the spectacular miracle. Do you remember what we’re looking for in this passage? We’re looking for Jesus’ ministry style. You’ll notice that he did not seek glory for himself, but for the Father.

Do you understand why, after he raised Jairus’ 12-year old daughter from the Dead, the Lord Jesus commanded the witnesses not to tell anyone about what happened? It was because he didn’t want their praise. But, why not? Why was getting accolades taboo for Jesus?

Well, for one reason, those witnesses who were—as the Bible says—astonished, were the same people who were laughing only moments earlier. Remember how the text says ‘they laughed at him’? Well, their mocking proves that that particular group did not consist of real believers.

Knowing this, Jesus’ reasoning was that if those people could mock him one moment, what good would it do for them to praise him the next? Their praise wouldn’t be genuine. So he didn't want it. He didn't want astonishment not based on conviction. He didn't want praise based on emotion.

A Strategy for Outreach

But, more importantly, Jesus was implementing an outreach strategy. He knew that if the miracle were to have a deep and lasting impact on Jairus, the leader of the local Jewish religious community, others would likely follow suit. Others would believe through the synagogue ruler’s faith. With the synagogue leader’s family deeply committed to Jesus, other local Jews would be influenced to believe in Jesus as well.

Rather than aiming for fanfare and pleasing a miracle-hungry crowd, Jesus was content with reaching one key individual, Jairus, who surely would transmit his deeply-held faith to the congregants of the synagogue he led. Our Lord chose impact of a small group of serious people over impact of a large group of unserious people.

Jesus did not want propaganda, advertising, or news headlines. People don’t get saved through a news story. They get saved through a rational faith in the God they encounter through real experiences.

And when they let those experiences impact them deeply, like Jairus did, they meditate on them. Such experiences transform them. Jesus promoted and produced such experiences. He encouraged deep reflection, not sensationalism.

Can you tell what Jesus’ goal was with the people at Jairus’ house? It was to glorify God. To do that, to glorify God, Jesus had to suppress the tendency to glorify him. If you can get that, you'll understand why he '... gave strict orders not to let anyone know about' the miracle.

Jesus Ordered Two Blind Men to Be Quiet

Here’s another story: Jesus sternly warned two blind men by telling them ‘See that no one knows about this!’ Do you know the scenario? Have you read the story? Here’s what the passage says:

As Jesus went on from there, two men who were blind followed him, crying out ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’

So, we’ll read the rest of the story in a moment, but with just this as a scenesetter, someone might think that Jesus might have told two men to be quiet because he was annoyed with them. That’s wrong. He was not annoyed. Jesus was not bothered by these men’s plea for healing. And he certainly was not trying to avoid them. They were blind and Jesus loved helping the blind.

Jesus never pushed away the people to whom he was sent. So then, whey did he sternly warn them? Why did he crack down on them and say ‘See that no one knows about this’?

Well, let’s read the rest of the story, nice and slow. Here it is:

And after he entered the house, the men who were blind came up to him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’

Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done for you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened.

And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, ‘See that no one knows about this!’ But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that land (Matthew 9:27–31).

So, the answer to the question of why Jesus warned the two men healed of blindness to be silent is the same as in the other scenarios. The answer is because Jesus was humble. He was took measures to avoid glorifying himself. He sought rather... to glorify God.

Top Prayer: God’s Glory

Jesus wanted God to get the glory in every place he went from every person he met. For example, with the sick. Jesus did not perform healings to become popular. His primary prayer, and the first thing he taught us to say to the Father in prayer is ‘Hallowed be thy name.’

The word hallowed means “set apart.” In other words, it means “to put in a special place of honor.” And thy name means God’s fame, his reputation, and everything he stands for: righteousness, holiness, peace, grace, salvation, and love. We likewise, if we’re going to be like Christ and deserve the name Christians, must always treat God’s reputation as our precious priority.

Christians are the stewards of God’s reputation. A Christian will long to see God honored and glorified. Jesus established it as our priority and our first prayer.

So, we first pray for God to get the praise and the glory he deserves. The prayer ‘hallowed be thy name’ is a petition designed to focus our lives on seeking God’s fame. And if we’re seeking his fame, we’re not seeking our own.

The examples we’ve studied in this lesson and the previous lesson demonstrate how Jesus lived this out. He is the model. Jesus taught us by word and example how to hallow God’s name.

Popularity: Our Own Glory

Although Jesus did indeed become popular, he knew long before he became popular that popularity is shaky ground. It’s empty. Popularity is established on something unstable: human whim. Popularity sits on the capriciousness of men.

Popularity is undependable and it produces instability. One minute you might be popular, and the next you will not. So, be like Jesus—do not to trust in the masses. Better to regard them as they truly are--unworthy of our trust.

Jesus was popular for a time, that’s true. He became a superstar, but he did not trust the people that put him there. Once Jesus popularity fizzled out, the same people who shouted ‘Hosana to the Son of David’ would yell ‘Crucify him, crucify him.’

Even to this day, Jesus’ fame is often a hinderance to God’s fame. Have you heard of the Jesus-Only movement? It’s also called “Oneness” or “Apostolic Pentecostalism.” Some people call it “Jesus-Name Pentecostalism” because they believe that people should only be baptized in the name of Jesus.

You’ll know it’s them by the denomination United Pentecostal Church.

They teach that Jesus is the final manifestation of the One God, so they don’t honor the Father at all. They treat Jesus as the One God. It's as if Jesus took the place of the Father. Very weird.

Now, you might think that such theology sounds very distant from your own, but the Oneness heretics’ focus on Jesus as the One God has become very popular in Evangelical worship. You can observe it very clearly in the lyrics of popular Christian songs today.

For many Christian musicians, Jesus is the Only True God. They only praise him—hardly ever mentioning the Father in their music. And, when they do mention the Father, they’ll treat him with so much ambiguity (never recognizing that he is the One True God), that they end up calling him "Jesus." Utter confusion and blind emotionalism.

Expressions of Christ

Now, get this: Such confusion is exactly what Jesus wanted to avoid.

Jesus, recognizing that his glory would hinder people from seeing God’s glory, was careful how he led people. He always tried to lead people to glorify the Father. You can hear his careful attempts to rectify bad theology in expressions such as these:

I do not seek my glory (John 8:50).

If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing (John 8:54).

I do not receive glory from men (John 5:41).

Are those three passages clear enough for you? If not, then here’s a fourth. Jesus, speaking to God said:

I glorified you on the Earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do (John 17:14).

So, Jesus would even pray to God and remind God that he glorified him! Wow.

Now, in this next expression of faith (the fifth in our spurt of verses), Jesus applied his own life principle to you and me. In it, he teaches us how to speak in such a way that glorifies God.

This is what the Lord said:

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who is seeking the glory of the One who sent him, he is true… (John 7:18; NASB)

Speaking From Yourself

Reflect on this saying of Christ. "Speaking from yourself," which means sharing your opinions and personal interpretations, is egotistical. It’s self-centered.

Be very wary of a pastor who starts his sermon with “in my opinion.” We’re not looking for anyone to be artistic or creative with ministry. What then should be our goal if it’s not creativity? Truth.

Let’s be true. Let’s seek to build up the name of God—his fame and reputation are in our hands. We’re his people. If we seek to give him the praise and not to steal it for ourselves, then we are truly serving him as people who are sent.

You say: “But people will reject me.” Amen. That’s a good sign. But say this to people before they reject you: “I’m just a messenger.” Hopefully they’ll recall the famous saying “Don’t shoot the messenger” and they'll treat you right. But they probably won't.

God speaks through us to others. When we share his Word his way (in love, with boldness, in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit), God is glorified. And that’s good because just like Jesus, our goal is for God to get the glory. We sanctify and hallow God’s name—which is his fame.

God’s reputation is at play. Either we are faithful to his Word, or we deviate and seek our own glory. As Jesus said:

He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent him, he is true… (John 7:18; NASB)

God is the Source of Glory

Jesus rebuked the tendency of seeking one’s own glory while he observed the ministry style of the Pharisees. He noticed that their method of ministry was to pursue their own fame. They sought big reputations and titles—the praise of men, so our Lord Jesus rebuked them.

Here’s specifically what he said to them:

I do not receive glory from men… you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the One and Only God… (John 5:41-44; NASB)

What’s the takeaway? What do we learn from this sharp rebuke? Well, number one, we learn to not be like the Pharisees. The Pharisees sought glory from men—what Jesus called ‘glory from one another.’

The applause and praise of colleagues, parishioners, friends, and family is passing. It will fade away. On the contrary, eternal rewards are for those of us who renounce this World and live for the next.

People whose eyes are on the prize and who long for a resurrection, live like Jesus. Do you follow that ministry style? As we've seen, it was Jesus' style.

Jesus got his eternal rewards and he qualified for them by turning away from worldly rewards. He focused on what God would give and not what men could give. Jesus consistently led the people around him to give God the glory.

Now, here’s one last verse to remind us of the right approach to ministry, the one that Jesus, our model, left us. Remember: His approach was, is, and always will be: glorify God and he’ll glorify you.

Jesus summed it up nicely when he said this to God in prayer:

I have brought you glory on Earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

And now, Father, glorify me… (John 17:4-5)

So that’s the deal. Glorify God now. He’ll glorify you later. Make that deal with God and you'll be more like Jesus today than you were yesterday.