Philippians 2:6-7 reads, "[Christ Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
The Greek word for emptied is kenoo', which means to be perceived as valueless, not worthy of recognition, having no reputation.
For our sake, King Jesus became a man of no reputation. Think about that...
In John 6, after Jesus feeds thousands with some bread and a few fish, the people move to take Jesus by force and make Him king. Knowing what they are about to do, Jesus leaves and retreats to the mountains alone. (v. 15)
In John 18, moments before betrayal, Jesus calms a zealous Peter, saying, "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (v. 11) When they wanted to make Jesus king, He withdrew, not wanting to outshine His Father. When they wanted to kill Jesus, He yielded, not wanting to displease His Father. Jesus was wholly conformed to the will of the Father. Praise or punishment, life or death, Jesus cared nothing of His person or reputation, only the Father's glory.
Courage Enough...
This reminds me of something Rhett Butler said. Butler, the unlikely protagonist of Margaret Thatcher's Gone With the Wind, is an A-political gun-runner. Butler believes the Civil War is a lost cause and sees an opportunity to capitalize. Butler begins running guns and ammunition for the South, his homeland, all the while running guns for the North. Butler becomes a very wealthy and affluent man—until he gets caught.
Sitting in a Southern prison, a Confederate officer asks Butler, "How could you—do you care nothing about your reputation?"
Butler responds, "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation."
A man of no reputation. Butler wanted it. Jesus had it. I'm striving for it.
Where do we start?
If you want to be a man of no reputation, begin by remembering this principle: don't let the hype go to your head, and don't let the hate go to your heart.
Hype is real—the best Kool-aid is your own Kool-aid, and it's hard not to drink. Don't believe your own hype, and don't fall head over heels in love with hype from others...
In Matthew 22, Jesus' enemies try and kill him with kindness, "And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances." (vs. 16)
Trying to get Him to let down His guard, Jesus' enemies don't attack Him physically. They don't employ slander or malice. They don't threaten His family or friends. Their weapon is flattery. It was impossible to take His soul, so they wanted the next best thing: poison His soul using false kindness and praise. Mike Tyson once said, "not everyone who wants to fight you is your enemy, and not everyone who wants to help you is your friend..."
Iron Mike and Jesus, had a lot of people telling them what they wanted to hear. Like Mike and Jesus, we must be on guard against flattery. Fiery darts and swords are not satan's only weapons. When fear of bodily harm doesn't move us, satan will use more seductive measures. Nothing is more seductive than flattery.
The sword did not bring down Samson or Solomon; they were brought down by women who told them what they wanted to hear. An invading army did not ruin Hezekiah; it was flattery that led to his demise.
JC Ryle once said, "Peace often ruins nations far more than war. The sun makes the traveler cast off his protective garments far sooner than the north wind.... remember, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss." Flattery gets us nowhere. Flattery fuels pride, and pride ultimately destroys. Be careful not to believe the hype that surrounds you, and "woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Lk. 6:26). After all, "such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive (Ro. 16:18)." A man of no reputation doesn't drink his own Kool-aid.
What do we do when hype comes our way?
No matter how warranted, the hype you receive should never go to your head. Instead, redirect.
A man of no reputation takes the praise he receives and quickly redirects it to others. More so, he always turns the praise back to God because, without God, he knows he would be nothing. He doesn't allow the hype to go to his head—everything he is, everything he has, is because of God.
I was recently with Dr. Robert Lewis—an absolute stud and men's ministry GIANT. Author of many books and founder of Men's Fraternity, Authentic Manhood, and BetterMan—Robert shared with me what he had learned after 50+ years of ministry. Robert said, "Chris, in the grand scheme of it all, I've come to realize how small I really am..."
Small? No. But a man of no reputation. Absolutely.