Anti-Narcissism on Display

The world is used to prideful tyrants demanding honor from one’s people. History is full of examples of dangerous leaders who expected unwavering respect. If such admiration was not freely given, it was adamantly required.

Such pride exists in smaller venues than the world stage, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be as dangerous. Any authority figure in a home, school, church, workplace, or community can make life miserable for all. Narcissistic tendencies demand the respect they think they deserve but only prove that they are undeserving of it in the first place.

Jesus was different. The Prophet Isaiah spoke about what the coming Messiah would be like, and Jesus met the description perfectly.

Read Isaiah 42:1-2.

“This is my servant; I strengthen him,
this is my chosen one; I delight in him.
I have put my Spirit on him;
he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not cry out or shout
or make his voice heard in the streets.

Jesus was the unexpected Messiah. People thought they knew what to expect, but they were immensely mistaken. As the Prophet Isaiah pointed to His appearance, he indicated, “He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets” (Isa. 42:2). He won’t demand respect. Why? Because He already has it.

He doesn’t need the world to affirm Him because His Father already did. “This is my chosen one; I delight in him” (Isa. 42:1). We see the Father’s affirmation of the Son at His baptism, where the onlookers heard a voice from heaven declare, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Before Jesus ever preached a sermon or performed a sign, He was loved by His Father. That delight freed Him from the need to seek it elsewhere.

While this passage describes how Jesus would conduct His life and the humility He would display, it also beckons us to a countercultural way of living. You don’t have to make yourself heard if you know what the Father thinks about you. We know that God the Father sent His Son to take your place on the cross due to His immense love for you. If that fact doesn’t settle you, what on earth can? 

Jesus didn’t demand respect, so He deserves it all the more. In a world full of people expecting recognition, please give it to the One who never required it. 

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