Love it or hate it, Social Media is a huge part of society. With apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, WeChat, Pinterest, Linkedin, and a host of others, there is something for everyone. You can even make a decent educated guess regarding someone’s age group based on the social media they use the most. It is a great way to stay connected, network, and just have fun, however it can also lead to drama and cause people to have a tendency to live for the likes. What I mean by this is to be worried about how many followers, what people think about them, are people liking their posts, how much interaction are they getting, it can be overwhelming. We all have a tendency to want to be liked to some degree or another, after all We are created as social beings and we really can’t do life alone, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.  Now though scripture does not mention social media, it does have some things that are applicable to this topic. 

Take a look at  Matthew 23:1-12

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

]

Believe it or not, October is just around the corner. This means Halloween and  All saints Day is just around the corner.  I find this scripture selection ironic considering the way society celebrates  Halloween, where people dress up, pretend to be people and things they are not, wearing  masks etc because this

scripture is about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of Israel. Their dress, their deportment, their teaching, their demand for salutations that curry honor from the people, and even their very presence is a magnificent pretense, offensive to God and painfully imprisoning for those who follow them.

Are we who we portray ourselves to be? And does it matter?

In Hamlet: The Tragedy of the Prince of Denmark, Polonius, the chief counsel to the murderous King Claudius, tells us his son, Laertes:

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”[1]

“To thine own self be true,” is a rebuke to Laertes who is in a disastrous contest for Ophelia. 

Many 12 step programs as they work with people to break the cycle of addiction use this as a reminder , To thine own self be true.

I often have issues with this, Yes we need to be true to ourselves and not fall into the Rat Race of impressing others, doing things for the sake of how it looks, but scripturally, there isn’t much in of ourselves that is good to be true to  outside of Christ and so it needs a caveat, to thine own self in Christ be true. 

We generally know ourselves according to the manner in which we  think of ourselves. Others usually see us differently. If we are completely honest, we do not always view our own selves correctly. I find myself looking in the mirror and not always recognizing who looks back as changes happen through the years. 

One of the goals of personal and spiritual growth is to know who we are, as we are, as we are known, as God desires us to be, and to make sure there is truth in what is shown.You know me as a pastor. In a sense, I have worked to have you to know me as such. I have been working on an education and being credentialed for this role. Is it for self or for God? And with such a role comes expectations.

Perhaps, you say to yourself when you see me, “If he is a pastor he must hold to all those characteristics that Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 3.” Beyond Biblical expectations, there are social or we might say “cultural” expectations. He is faithful to His Word, His wife, His family, and he is devoted to God. 

Or, does  your own cultural experience lead you to think  Christian minister equals a fraud. , an Elmer Gantry.   Elmer Gantry is a movie from the 60’s starring Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones. However, Sinclair Lewis published the novel Elmer Gantry in 1927 at the height of the roaring twenties and Prohibition (the Volstead Act creating the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 28 October 1919), Both the law and Sinclair was influenced by the moral zeal of Midwestern evangelicals. So, Lewis left his native northeastern suburbs for Kansas City. He went to church. He watched preachers. The Methodist Episcopal Church South was the largest denomination in the land and very prominent in Kansas City. So, the famous and sometimes infamous author crafted a character based not upon his observations of ministers in Kansas City, but upon his own prejudice against evangelical Christianity. His disdain for pastors is undeniable as you read the last lines of Elmer Gantry. Having been sued for $50,000 by an angry husband of a woman under the spell of Gantry, and with his association with distillers made known, Lewis ends with this scene:

“Oh, my friends!” cried Elmer, “do you believe in my innocence, in the fiendishness of my accusers? Reassure me with a hallelujah!” The church thundered with the triumphant hallelujah, and in a sacred silence Elmer prayed “O Lord, thou hast stooped from thy mighty throne and rescued thy servant from the assault of the mercenaries of Satan! Mostly we thank thee because thus we can go on doing thy work, and thine alone! Not less but more zealously shall we seek utter purity and the prayer-life, and rejoice in freedom from all temptations! He turned to include the choir, and for the first time he saw that there was a new singer, a girl with charming ankles and lively eyes, with whom he would certainly have to become well acquainted. But the thought was so swift that it did not interrupt the oæan of his prayer “Let me count this day, Lord, as the beginning of a new and more vigorous life, as the beginning of a crusade for complete morality and the domination of the Christian church through all the land. Dear Lord, thy work is but begun! We shall yet make these United States a moral nation!”[2]

So, is the truth of Elmer Gantry that the character is flawed, evangelical Christianity is a sham? Or could it not be that the author is flawed?

Yet, what about you? How does the public person and the private person that you are  compare to each other.? Do they? And why does it matter?

 Well mainly because It matters to God. The Lord has condemned It. Jesus called the Leaders of his day out of it frequently. Pointing out their Hypocrisy. In our scripture today he says to listen to them, but don’t do as they do. Sinclair Lewis’ Gantry has nothing on these guys. . And how the world has changed since SInclairs days. 

Parents often catch themselves saying things like, “Do as I say not as I do”, however plenty of studies show that the example watched often holds more power than the words, therefore it is important to work toward walking out what you say. 

And so hypocrisy continues, it is part of the fallen human condition. We want people to see us in a good light, often to think of us better than we think of ourselves. 

To seek the approval of others has always been a struggle for humanity, and in Today’s society the Rat Race pushes many to seek approval of others in ways previous generations could not have even imagined. 

In our algorithmically driven age, everything is done for attention. Nothing is safe. Whether it’s posting a picture of your food or sharing a video detailing your morning grooming routine, or documenting every detail of your best, worst, or most mundane moment, all of human life exists for display. People post pictures hoping to get others to like them. I do it, it is an easy way to share and keep up with friends and family, but we need to be mindful of the driving force beyond why we do it. 

 This isn’t new to our species – merely amplified by technology. God has a different, simpler, and humbler plan.  

It isn’t that he never wants us to be exalted, to get atta boys, but get them for the right reasons and most importantly the right way. See we are not to Lord things over others, and do you know why? Because we are all equal in God’s eyes. Yes equal in worth, equal in the love he has for us, but also equally screwed up. Equally in need of a savior, equally separated from Him outside of His son Jesus. There is none good, no not one. And so in my opinion a better phrase to remember beside to thine own self be true is except for the grace of God there go I. Anytime we look at someone and think How we are better off, remember it has nothing to do with ourselves and everything to do with the Grace and Love of God.

The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.  God wants us to allow Him to exalt us, let His work in us and through us be what brings glory, praise, exaltation. Since he is the only one worthy of all praise, it is the appropriate way. Being liked is a good thing, but let’s get likes because we share Jesus in our lives to others and not get our view of our self worth from the status of our social media. You are loved by the creator, you already have worth, regardless of the likes your posts get. Never forget that!