Showman or Shepherd…
10.20.24
“If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped.” Philippians 2:1-6
The name P.T Barnum has resurfaced as a household name again thanks to Hugh Jackman’s performance in the musical/movie The Greatest Showman. The story follows P.T. in this “rags to riches” tale of a man who found great success in giving the audience what they wanted to see and hear, even if their entertainment came at the cost of reality. The truth of the story of Barnum’s rise to fame is nowhere close to a Disney Fairytale for many of the people that were left in the wake of his waves of success. Barnum believed in the philosophy of no harm-no foul, “so long as at the end of the day customers felt like they got their money’s worth. I need only notoriety to ensure success.” The real Barnum “rented” a black woman and made up a story about her to make her into a spectacle to draw the public attention he craved. Not the humble beginning that anyone should look back on fondly by any means. Barnum would continue to use and abuse people by convincing them to be part of his shows where people would fill his pockets for the chance to get their fill of enjoyment at the expense of the “freakshow.”
Thanks be to God that our Savior is a Shepherd and not a Showman. Jesus not only welcomed the outcasts that others would have labeled “freaks”, but he also often confused, disappointed, and enraged the crowds when He acknowledged their dignity and lowered himself so that they could be elevated as worthy of love. When Jesus saw those that were prime targets to be victimized or exploited, He gave himself to them, without receiving anything in return (except for bad publicity…)
It is clear from the story of P.T. and so many other showmen in our history that the world is not short on examples of selfish ambition. We must protect ourselves from these influences that either tempt us with the path of success at the expense of others or entice us to be another heartless face in the crowd. Whether an audience or a participant, the result of selfish ambition is the rejection that all are made in the Image of God, and all are worthy of holy love.
Again, thanks be to God, Jesus Christ does not grasp for power over us with his hands. Instead, his hand lovingly reaches into our lives so we can be restored by his love. We see him do this with widows, traitors, criminals, the poor, the sick, the foreigner, and so on… Jesus did not come to condemn us to slavery but to free us to life in his Kingdom where all are worthy of his unending love.
If we are to live in the complete joy of Christ in this life, we must ask God’s help to guide our eyes away from the showmen of this world and fix our eyes on our shepherd, so we can walk together in humility under his loving care.