(Mark 8:27)
There is a big difference between PERCEPTION and REALITY. We must always have it at the back of our minds that people’s opinions don’t define us.
Our own opinions about ourselves may not always define us either: we can mislabel ourselves, if we choose to live in self deceit: we can believe our own hype, if we are not careful.
I have seen Politicians boast about their expected victory at the coming Election, bragging about their popularity and how they won all the online polls on Social Media, only to be humbled at the real life polls.
I have seen boxers, wrestlers, athletes and footballers boast about up coming events, only to lose woefully to their opponents.
We are not always who or what we think we are…
In the above quoted Scripture, Jesus asked His Disciples a question: “Who do people say I am?” They replied, some say you are Elijah, some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are one of the Prophets…”
Then Jesus probed further: “But who do YOU say I am?”
See that? Jesus knew the opinion of the crowd is not always the same with the opinion of those who are closer to you. The crowd will judge you by your external CV, those who are closer to you will not.
The crowd will say, “He is a very brilliant Medical Doctor, working at the National Hospital, married with 3 kids.”
His wife will say, “He is a chronic cheat, a wife beater- a very irresponsible man!”
Different takes, same man. Majority would judge him based on what they see externally. The wife will judge him based on what she sees internally.
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 7, we read the story of a man whose servant was sick. He was a Centurion, a Roman Military Officer. He had some degree of influence and honour in the society he lived. He needed medical help as fast as possible for his servant! He sent the Jewish Elders to Jesus to please come heal him.
The Jewish Elders urged Jesus to go because they felt the Centurion DESERVED to have his servant healed by Jesus.
Why?
“He loves our Country and he built us a Synagogue”, they said.
That was his External CV the Jewish Leaders believed was good enough for Jesus to honour him by healing his servant.
But guess what? The Centurion did not believe that hype! As Jesus was heading towards his house, he sent some of his friends to Him: ‘I am not worthy to have You in my house, Sir; neither am I worthy to come to You myself: just say the Word and my servant will be healed!”
In the Book of Revelations, we read another story about people who believed their own hype:
Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing”- and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor blind and naked -Revelation 3:17
See the stark contrast between self perception and reality! It is actually SELF DECEPTION.
In the Book of ACTS, there is a story about a King, Herod who gave a speech to the people of Tyre and Sidon. The speech moved the people so much, they shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!”
And Herod believed their hype.
And he died immediately!
The question now is, who do YOU think You are?
Do YOU have the right opinion about YOURSELF?
Do you KNOW who you really are?
What is your own assessment of yourself?
Is it TRUE?
Do you believe your own hype about yourself, like the Church in Laodicia in the Book of Revelation, who believed they were rich but were actually poor and wretched?
Or do you believe in people’s hype about you?
Do you refuse the hype of people and believe in your own opinion about yourself, like the Roman Centurion who needed Jesus to heal his dying servant?
Be careful to know what to believe about yourself, folks: there are Praise Singers out there who can hype you into trouble.
When you hear things like, “Preaching to us today is one of God’s Finest Generals…”
RUN!!!
Shalom,
Haruna Daniels.