Keep it to Yourself

I've stopped being amazed by the extent to which the media can - and does - pry into the personal and private lives of public figures.  Whether it's pop stars, politicians or members of the royal family ... or simply the proverbial 'man (or woman) in the street', it seems that no one is immune from the revelation of their most intimate secrets.  I suppose in certain instances making known these details - provided they're true - is in the public interest if it prevents someone unsuitable from having particular responsibilities.  However, I'm convinced that, in the majority of cases, much more is revealed than is justified, purely for commercial gain and the titillation of consumers.

Jesus himself was vulnerable to public awareness.  Often after performing a miraculous healing, He exhorted the one healed not to tell anyone about it (e.g. Matt. 9:30, 12:16; Luke 5:14, 8:56) ... not always successfully (Matt. 9:31, Luke 5:15)!  Many have wondered why He did this; some theologians and commentators suggest that the time wasn't right, or the place, and that it didn't fit in with Jesus' plan for His ministry.  I wonder whether it might be linked to His experiences in the wilderness, where He was tempted by the Devil (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).  Those temptations involved his bodily needs, the possession of ultimate power and His personal renown.  I think He tried to steer away from fame as a healer just as he refused to jump from the Temple roof.  It wasn't His aim simply to become a supernatural celebrity.

Against the background of these thoughts, I watched a woman on the bus either taking something from, or putting something into her handbag.  It was the bag itself that fascinated me.  It was long and black, with a zip at each end.  But these zips didn't meet in the middle; here there was a simple stud holding the sides together.  The bag was thus divided into three sections, possibly separated within; at the ends the contents were comparatively secure while at the centre would be those items more frequently required.

I thought how clever this design was, for not all things are of equal importance and some possessions demand greater protection than others.  When St Paul wrote about the body, he noted that "the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty." (1 Cor. 12:23).  Paul was writing about a corporate body, the 'body of Christ' - in other words the church - but he wouldn't have compared the principles of which he was trying to convince his readers to aspects of a physical body if the comparison weren't sound teaching.

It does seem that some sections of today's society are incapable of distinguishing what bits of life ought to be in which part of that excellently-designed handbag: what can be made public and what should remain 'behind closed doors'.  Perhaps the answer is to reflect on our motives and consider the example of our Lord.  If the aim of what we are about to reveal on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram is simply to enhance our own celebrity, then maybe we should think again.