Purpose or Popularity?
Scripture — Mark 1:35-38 (NRSV)
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”
Focus
Nothing can distract us from our true purpose in life like popularity. Popularity is not necessarily bad, of course. But it can be a poor measure of what God wants us to do with our lives. Jesus did not let his popularity distract him from his true purpose. Rather, he remained faithful to his calling. So, he left behind the adoring and needy crowds in Capernaum in order to preach the good news of the kingdom in other places.
This devotion is part of the series: Following Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.
Devotion
Shortly after Jesus began his ministry in Capernaum, he arose early one morning to find an isolated place where he could pray without interruption. We’ve been considering the implications of this action in several recent devotions. Jesus’ time for private prayer didn’t last too long, however, because his disciples looked for Jesus to tell him what they surely believed to be happy news: “Everyone is searching for you” (1:37). An expanded paraphrase might read, “Jesus, you’ve made it. You’ve gone viral! Everybody wants more of you. Congratulations!”
Naturally, the disciples assumed that Jesus would leave his solitary place of prayer to please the masses. But then he said a strange thing: “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do” (1:38). Jesus understood that he was not sent only to Capernaum and the nearby region. Rather, his mission would take him across Galilee and ultimately to Judea and Jerusalem. Along the way, he would disappoint the crowds who wanted more of him, as well as many of his one-time followers who turned back when Jesus didn’t fulfill their expectations (John 6:66).
Nothing can distract us from our true purpose in life like popularity. Even when we know God has called us to some particular work, we can be tempted to focus our energies on some other venture if that’s what people like. Many pastors, for example, find it easier to preach on what makes people like them rather than on what their people actually need. I surely faced that temptation when I was a parish pastor. Business leaders sometimes work long hours because the praise they get at work is much more gratifying than the day-to-day challenges of family life. Popularity is not necessarily bad, of course. But it can be a poor measure of what God wants us to do with our lives.
Jesus did not let his popularity distract him from his true purpose. Rather, he remained faithful to his calling. So, he left behind the adoring and needy crowds in Capernaum in order to preach the good news of the kingdom in other places.
Reflect
When have you been tempted to focus on what is popular rather than what you’re really supposed to do with your life?
What helps you to fulfill your calling in life, even when it is hard, even when it is unpopular?
Act
Talk with a wise friend or your small group about their experience of the tension between purpose and popularity (being liked).
Pray
Lord Jesus, when I read this story from Mark, I’m reminded of how easily I can become distracted from my primary purpose in life. When people want me to do something that makes me popular, I can be led astray, not so much into sin, as into activity that isn’t consistent with what you have called me to do.
Help me, Lord, to do in my life that which is most important, whether or not it is the thing that brings the most praise.
Help me, Lord, to be faithful in my closest relationships, especially with my family. Keep me from getting so wrapped up in work that I forget the relational dimension of my calling.
Above all, may I give first place in life to my relationship with you. May I live for your pleasure most of all. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Walking Around in the Skin of Jesus.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Fellow
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Fellow for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and t...