Why the Idol of Idols Is the Persona We Chase

If you were a kid in the early 90s, you probably remember the Gatorade commercial with Michael Jordan, surrounded by a court full of kids singing about wanting to be like Mike. (Like Mike, if I could be like Mike!) My friends and I drank plenty of Gatorade back then, just in case! Looking back, that jingle gives a tangible example of our culture’s propensity to create idols out of people and their personas.

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Worship Has Always Been Demanded

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow to a golden image of himself. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, and told the king:

“…be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18, ESV)

Centuries later, around AD 111, a Roman governor named Pliny the Younger wrote to the emperor about Christians brought before him. Anyone who denied Christ and offered incense and wine to the emperor’s image walked free. Those who held on were executed. (Pliny the Younger, ca. AD 111)

Where the Idol of Idols Begins

Few of us live under a ruler who demands our worship, yet we still find someone to follow. It might be a pop star, an athlete, a creator, or even a pastor. Admiration slowly turns into wanting to become them.

We might also chase a persona instead. This is the idolized image of who we think we have to be or should be. It might be the best teacher, the perfect parent, or the person who always has it together. Like every idol, it often takes root in one of three places:

• Identity: we copy the look, language, and opinions of someone we admire until we can’t tell where they end and we begin.
• Security: we believe that if we can just become that person, we’ll finally be safe, respected, and taken seriously.
• Belonging: we take on the style and beliefs of a camp or fan base so we’ll be accepted, and we hide the real us.

A persona is only as strong as our ability to keep it up. When it cracks (and it eventually will), our security crumbles because we’ve been counting on the image.

The Name Above Every Name

God made us to worship and follow Someone greater: His Son, Jesus. When we reject Him, that need lands somewhere else. Paul calls Jesus “the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15, ESV) Jesus emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and gave His life for us.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV)

Take note of that word “Therefore.” Jesus let go of what was rightfully His, and the Father gave Him the highest place there is. No person or persona we chase will ever be greater than Jesus Christ.

Seek the Eternal King Over the Idol of Idols

Jesus gave Himself away, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day. He offers an eternal identity, security, and belonging; the very things every idol promises and can’t deliver.

If you’re tired of chasing the idols of this world, today is a good day to let them go and follow Him.

Join the Conversation; Answer This Question

• Which persona have you felt the most pressure to keep up, and what would it look like to set it down and follow Jesus?