Don’t Tell Anyone
When it was revealed to his disciples that he was the Messiah, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone. That, my friends, is how to display a wonderful sense of security.
The same thing occurred once when he healed someone. He told them not to let his secret out. Hmmm…
I have to be honest and tell you, I would have a dickens of a time doing that. If I had cast out a pile of demons or caused the blind to see, I would have been quick to spread the good news. “Hey! Did you see what I did? Did you notice the kind of power I can wield?”
“Egos need stroking…”
Fortunately for all of us, I’m not Jesus. I do, however, desire to be more like him. But unlike him, I’m too insecure to let my little victories slide by unnoticed. Sometimes I try to use someone else to spread my legend. I’ve developed some pretty sneaky techniques to garner a few pats on the back. After all, egos do need some stroking from time to time.
Jesus, of course, changed his tactics when it came time for him to leave the planet. At his Ascension into Heaven, he told everyone it was time to get the word out. I have to say; I think I would have mustered a better plan than to trust a small gathering of very fallible people to do my PR work. Still, it seems to have worked fairly well.
It seems to me, we can take a pointer from Jesus here about taking credit for 
stuff. We often worry more about our status than we do our results. Jesus deserved to be lauded—not just for what he did, but even more so for whom he is. Outside of Jesus, I’m nobody. Yet my constant striving is to be somebody important (or, at least, to be liked). I want to be like Jesus, but I’m so far from there that I can’t see it from here.
If I could just do what I do and leave the public relations to Jesus, I’d be a whole lot better off. I suspect this is a common malady.
About our Father’s business…
I’m not sure why we think we’re our best promoters (or why we even need promoting). Yet, blowing our own horn is a temptation that’s almost impossible to overcome.
When Jesus was twelve years old, he became separated from his family on a trip to Jerusalem. By the time they figured out where he was, he had spent a considerable amount of time with the elders in the Temple. When his parents asked him why, he simply answered that he had to “be about [his] Father’s business.”
That seems to me to be a good philosophy for life. If we were going about our Father’s business each day, we would undoubtedly be better off than we are. Plus, if we’re doing our Father’s business, there’s no need for self-promotion. The Lord will be our publicity agent.
[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently the pastor of Smith Chapel, in Great Falls, VA.]
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