Did Fame Distract Jesus from Caring for the Hurting?
Are you and I worth His attention?
Many famous people are viewed as being out of touch with the rest of us “common” folks.
What did fame do to Jesus? Did it change Him at all?
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:23-25)
Fame didn’t change the Lord - because fame was never what He pursued.
He was teaching, preaching, and healing people before His fame spread - and He continued doing precisely the same things after His fame “went throughout all Syria.”
Even after He was raised from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, He continues to sympathize with the weaknesses of Christians (Hebrews 4:14-16). He doesn’t ignore the needs of His people - He is aware of our every need and hurt.
What would fame do to you? Would it change you?
I think the answer to this question lies in another question - what is your life all about? What is the purpose of your life?
The purpose of Jesus’ life was to do the will of the Father, even to the point of dying (Hebrews 5:7-9). Is your purpose in life to do the will of God?
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)