There was a rock musical in the 1960s called Jesus Christ Superstar. In the musical, Judas Iscariot mocks Jesus with the theme song of the musical. The lyrics of one of the verses are something like this:
"If you'd come today you could have reached the whole nation--
Israel in four B.C. had no mass communication . . .
Jesus Christ Superstar,
Do you think you're what they say you are?" (1)
Makes sense, doesn't it? Judas' line of thinking indicates that God should have hired someone to handle public relations. A "P.R. guy." It wasn't very smart of God to send His Son to a small, backwater nation in a tiny corner of the vast Roman Empire 2000 years ago. At the very least God should have waited for the advent of television, since that would have made it so much easier to get the message out to the world.
Why didn't Jesus hire a public relations guy? Consider today's lesson. It's one of the most famous passages in the Bible. Jesus and the disciples were on their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way Jesus asked them, "Who do people say that I am?"
They answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
Then Jesus asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"
And Peter answered him; "You are the Messiah."
Now notice the next verse. And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. What's that about? Why didn't he want people to know who he is? We have cable channels praising Jesus' name 24 hours a day, and yet he was telling the disciples to be quiet about it?
This is certainly something to think about, isn't it? If this had been the only time that Jesus told people to keep quiet about him, it might not seem so significant. However, just before this event, we read about Jesus opening a deaf man's ears. And he turned to those nearby and we read these words: "Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one . . ." Interesting. The next words read: ". . . but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it." (Mark 7:36)
Some things just have to be told. Still, as we learned a few weeks ago when we read about the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus wasn't into P.R. In fact, it is clear that he preferred to do his most spectacular work in private. We only have to go as far as the next chapter of Mark to find yet another example. In the 30th verse of the 9th chapter we read: "They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "˜The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.'"
Why the secrecy? We know that Jesus wants you and me to tell the story. Today's lesson clearly says, "Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Jesus obviously didn't want it kept secret forever, but why was the secrecy necessary while he was on earth?
One reason is that Jesus believed in the church. He had a very specific plan for saving the world. He taught the masses, helped the needy, and confronted the leaders of the organized religion of his time. But none of these were his main purpose. His main purpose was to create a community of faith--the church. It is clear that his central mission was to teach the 12 disciples so that they would be able to faithfully continue his work after he was gone. As he touched their lives, they were to touch other people's lives, who would in turn touch other lives. In that way the chain of influence would continue through the ages until the time came when, in St. Paul's words, "Every knee would bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Jesus believed in the church.
Do you believe in the church? I know the church is not always what it should be, and church people are not always what they could and should be. Someone phrased it this way:
"To live above with the saints I love, Oh, that will be glory!
But to dwell below, with the saints I know--now that's a different story!"
It's sad but true. It's like the pastor who wanted to implement a program designed to help his congregation be friendlier to visitors. He announced that they would start this new program the following Sunday. But one man was so enthusiastic about the idea that he grabbed the hand of a lady sitting behind him and greeted her. She gave him an icy stare and told him in no uncertain terms, "That friendliness business doesn't start until next week."
So, the church isn't everything it could be. Still, Jesus depends on the church, as we are the keys to his plan for redeeming the world.
Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision--he decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was completed.
At the grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of their new church. Everything had been thought of and included. It was truly a masterpiece. But then someone asked, "Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It's really dark in here. How will the church be lighted?" The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. "Each time you are here," he said, "the place where you are seated will be lighted. When you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."
Do you understand that? Certainly Christ came to die for the sins of the world, but he also came to found a new community. That community is charged with the responsibility of delivering the message of the cross to the world. If we fail to do our part as witnesses to the light of the world, then the world will remain forever in darkness. Jesus did not engage in public relations because he did not want to veer off course. Instead, he wanted to spend as much time as necessary training the disciples for ministry so that they could minister to others who would continue the ministry. And so Christian ministry has continued all the way throughout history to you and me here today
But there is a second reason Jesus told people not to broadcast his good works. He knew that people often attend church for the wrong reasons. We talked a little about this in the story of feeding the 5,000. You will remember that after that miracle Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and slipped away from the crowd, but the crowd always followed them. Jesus realized that the people were coming to him for the wrong reasons. He said, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." (v. 26)
Right here we find a great temptation about Christian witness. We live in a consumer society. People go to places that cater to their needs. I go to the restaurant that serves the kind of food I like, with a staff that treats me the way I like to be treated, has the kind of decor I find appealing, and even has the kind of music I prefer playing softly in the background.
Suppose people select a church using similar criteria. They like what the minister says, the rest of the congregation looks and talks the way they do, they like the sanctuary and the music. Hey, these are the reasons people choose a particular church. It's a good reason for me to work to deliver a good sermon, and it's a good reason for you to be friendly to visitors. It's a good reason for all of us to focus on keeping our church looking its best and to have the best music possible. But do you see the danger inherent in this? If people only listen to pastors who reinforce their existing prejudices and congregate only with people who are like them, then nobody is growing into the likeness of Christ. In a consumer-oriented society, this is the greatest danger facing the church. Instead of influencing our culture we are succumbing to our culture.
Jesus didn't hire a public relations guy because he believed in the church. He didn't hire a public relations guy because he didn't want people coming to church for the wrong reasons. Finally, he didn't hire a public relations guy because there is a difference between projecting an image and providing a witness to love.
Nothing that I have said today is intended to be disparaging toward the public relations field. There is a place for P.R. people. They help companies and even celebrities get their message out to the consumer and public. If I thought it would help get our message out, I would endorse hiring a P.R. person for the church. In fact, some of the fastest-growing churches today depend heavily on P.R. There's nothing wrong with that as long as they don't sacrifice integrity for the sake of growth.
But P.R. is still about the art of projecting an image. We see politicians draped in the American flag, kissing babies and embracing older persons. In reality, their careers may be due to their parents' wealth, with connections that bought them a ticket out of Vietnam. It may be that they've opposed every child welfare program that's come along, and voted against Social Security every time--but unfortunately this is how the game is played. Give the people what they want, even if it's misleading. It's the kind of temptation Satan used when Jesus was in the wilderness. Turn stones into bread, leap from the pinnacle of the temple, bow down and worship Satan. Jesus turned his back on these temptations and went about the purpose for which he was sent: teaching and witnessing to God's love at work in human lives. And that is what the church is supposed to be about today.
It's not about manipulating an image. It is about loving, serving, helping, and healing. It's about changing lives. It's okay to use secular means to get our message out, provided that our message doesn't get lost in the process.
A San Diego minister was called into the sanctuary early one morning. The custodian wanted him to see a strange offering that had been left on the altar. There were a pair of brown corduroy pants, a belt, a white T-shirt, a pair of tan suede boots, and a note. There were bloodstains on the shirt and the note. The note said: "Please listen to God." It was signed, and there was a phone number. The minister dialed the number. A 19-year-old man answered and told his story. He was a runaway who had been drifting from place to place, involved in drugs. He had gotten into all kinds of trouble and sordid behavior. The night before, he had hit rock bottom. There had been a street fight and he had almost killed someone.
After making sure that his victim was recovering in a nearby emergency room, the young man came to the church, found an unlocked door and went inside. He stayed there all night, crying, praying, and thinking. He asked God to forgive him and show him the way. All at once God's presence became very real. He knew God was there, and he felt God's forgiveness. A wonderful peace overcame him. He committed himself to follow Christ. He determined to make right the things he had messed up. He felt fresh and clean, like a new man. To symbolize his new life and new commitment, he put on new clothes he had in his backpack and left his old clothes on the altar. He felt like this symbolized giving God his old life. He walked out the church door a new person with a new vision, new hope, new life, and a new direction. (2)
This is what church is all about. It is about people being made new by the power of Jesus Christ. It's the reason you and I must do our part to see that the church is all Christ means for it to be, because he is depending on us. It is the reason we must continue to grow in love for one another and for the world for which Christ died. It is the reason why we must be concerned with authentic ministry rather than an artificial image of what a church is. Jesus didn't hire a P.R. guy. He simply gave his life for what he believed. And look what came out of that one life.
1. Jesus Christ Superstar, Words by Tim Rice, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
2. James W. Moore, When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions (Nashville: Dimensions, 1993), pp. 49-50.