The readings were 1 Cor 1, 18-25 and John 2, 13-22.
I have been thinking a little about fame this week, and about how our society behaves towards those who are in the public eye. This has mostly been because of the media coverage in recent weeks of the reality TV star Jade Goody, who is dying of cancer, and who was baptised into the church of England this week.
Just a couple of months ago many people who never watch reality TV had never heard of Jade, but now even the Prime Minister is sending her his condolences, and even the broadsheet newspapers are giving her headlines, whereas before she was a staple for the tabloids. Jade is one of those people who is famous for being famous (or infamous); it was clear from the start that her aim was to get as much media attention (and so also as much money) as she could, by profiting from Britain’s current fashion for reality TV programmes like Big Brother. Jade wanted fame and fortune and she got it; now she (or rather her agent) is even making money from coverage of her terminal illness (although she has at least decided to use this money to set up a trust fund to provide for her sons after her death.)
Our society encourages the promotion of the self, over and above ideology, theology or ethics. Famous people are to be looked up to just because they are famous not because they have even said or done anything worthwhile – It might just be because of what they wear, or who they are married to. The sad thing is that the public lap it up as well. They truly believe the old adage that anyone can be famous for 15 minutes, even if it is by humiliating themselves on national TV.
It’s sad mainly because it is the exact opposite of the approach that Jesus took, and which Paul advocates in his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus might have made a bit of a spectacle of himself in casting out the moneychangers and merchants from the Temple, but he did not do it as an act of self-promotion, but because zeal for his Father’s house had consumed him. In this episode we see Jesus' zeal for the law. The Christian meaning of the passage in John 2 is that, in Jesus, God's will has been perfectly disclosed and that he is the man who both embodies the kingdom and challenges on its behalf. Indeed, while he might arguably be called the most well known figure in human history, Jesus never did anything to make himself famous; he just wanted to point people to God.
And in the early church, the apostles undertook a similar task. They were often misunderstood or misinterpreted. For example, the preaching of the cross did not always commend itself to outsiders. According to Deuteronomy 21.23, those whose bodies were exhibited on a gibbet were regarded as cursed by God; while Romans saw crucifixion as a worthless person's death. Paul's rhetoric turns the situation on its head: what the world regarded as folly was in fact the supreme demonstration of divine wisdom. Here we have the tension of Christian living in a nutshell. The Christian Messiah was rejected by the priestly authorities as a pretender and crucified by the Romans as a troublemaker. It follows that those who follow Jesus follow a path of suffering as well as service, in the footsteps of their Lord. We need to learn to look beyond the obvious to see the true meaning of Christianity in action. But we should not confuse being a fool for Christ's sake with merely being a fool.
For now it seems the world is upside down again, because foolish and adolescent behaviour by “celebrities” is regarded by the media as a wise thing to report on, because we have an appetite for knowledge of Wayne Rooney’s brother in law’s court appearances, or Jade Goody’s husband’s conviction. Why is this? According to the BBC it is partly due to the death of the Fleet street investigative reporter and the rise of the PR agencies who make money out of telling us what is or isn’t news. I prefer to see this as an unfortunate turn in society towards the self and away from community. In matters of faith therefore we are called to put others first, to build a community that points other s to Christ.
John places the 'Cleansing of the Temple' at the beginning of Jesus' ministry whereas the Synoptic Gospels locate it at the end, during Jesus' last days in Jerusalem. Additionally John changes tack half way through, referring the Temple in Jerusalem to the temple of his own body under the assertion that Jesus would be raised three days after death.
John uses a story about Jesus to make a point: that Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection from the beginning of his ministry. Both of these points make sure the reader understands God’s plan was always there; Christ’s redemptive work was not a self-centred ploy to gain attention, but a sacrificial self-giving, that gave eternal life to those who follow him. Now that really is good news!
Using some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight
taken from www.rootsontheweb.com and is copyright © Roots for Churches Ltd 2008.
