Since the advent of Facebook, and other social media, has spawned a proliferation of pithy sayings about life, it was inevitable that more and more such would be posted to give Believers that feel good experience upon which the world thrives.I’m thankful when I see such posts that folks are thinking about God and His work in their lives and the world at large. However, one must be careful lest Lordship be replaced with hero worship.
Hero worship is defined as the over adulation of an individual because of his/her position, accomplishments, or talents. Heroes are people whose lives the worshipers attempt to emulate, or follow based upon external suppositions, and this is where the rub occurs with regard to Jesus as a hero.
Jesus never aspires to hero worship. Jesus demands that He be Lord of one’s life. Now “Lordship” in Biblical terms means that He have total control of one’s life. The true follower of Jesus Christ is not limited to what he/she sees on a movie screen, or hears over a CD. The true follower of Jesus Christ has a personal intimate witness of who He is living in him.
Throughout time men have attempted to live lives patterned after heroic figures. Such attempts are doomed from the outset because each individual is intrinsically different physically, mentally, and spiritually. Jesus does not want those who follow Him to look at His life and attempt to emulate it because He knows the impossibility of such a task. Rather, He makes a new creation of those who become His and writes on their minds and hearts His plan for their lives. He has provided Scripture as instruction, and His indwelling Holy Spirit as validation.
Lest you take me wrongly, let me hasten to add that it is proper and right to exalt and praise Jesus. Social media gives us ample opportunity to do so, but we need be careful that we not denigrate His Lordship while settling for a less than satisfying hero worship.
© 2012 Mike Rasberry
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