Let’s Stop Overvaluing Popularity!

28 May Let’s Stop Overvaluing Popularity!

Read Mark 6:1-6

Thought for the Day: My value is not measured by my popularity!

Now arguably the most well-known theologian of the 20th Century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer would never have predicted his life and work would have left such a significant legacy. Serving as a pastor in 1930s-40s Germany, Bonhoeffer was a key leader in the Confessing Church. Rather than fleeing the country or allying with the Nazi Party, Bonhoeffer stood took a hard stance against Hitler. However, even though He clung to the truth of Jesus, this did not mean that the Nazis suddenly saw the error of their ways and repented. Instead, Bonhoeffer was put to death in a concentration camp by his own German people.

Jesus Himself chose integrity over popularity. When He was rejected by those in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus made it clear: “A prophet is not without honor, except in His hometown and among His relatives and in His own household.” Those of Nazareth had been waiting for the Messiah for hundreds of years. But, they were unwilling to see the truth. Still, whether or not Jesus was popular with his own people had no bearing on the truth: He is the Messiah and our Lord.

Living in an age of influence and social media, it is easy to overvalue popularity. In reality, human popularity has very little to do with true value and worth. Bonhoeffer was killed by the Nazis despite the fact that he was right and they were wrong. Jesus was rejected by his family and friends in Nazareth despite the fact that He is the Messiah. So too in our lives, let’s remember that we don’t need to be popular. We simply need to faithfully follow Jesus!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David