Jesus is not impressed by your show. Everything you do to impress others is repulsive to the God who’s eye never leaves you. His loving eye is always on you, is he pleased with what he sees?

The lyrics of the song Jireh by Elevation Worship speak directly to my heart. It says, “It doesn’t take a trophy to make you proud. I’ll never be more loved than I am right now.” I don’t know why I’ve tried my entire life to earn some kind of trophy to make my Father proud, but I’m finally realizing I’ve already won with God. I’m already loved. My performance is not required.

Lord, reveal our show. Move in our spirits to make us sick over the showy things we do that make you sick. Strip it all down so we can see you are our audience of one and you desire our presence over our performance.

The very last public sermon from Jesus warned against the show. Even in those days, they had a celebrity culture. Human hearts wanted to be admired and exalted, so there was a show to create a celebration of followers around them. Putting on the show of the day were the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees. They were the ones who looked spiritual, but inside they were spoiling.

Spiritual show. Gag. We’ve all seen it, but where are we guilty of doing it? Have you ever bowed your head to pray, but it was more to be seen praying that to actually talk to God? Have you ever pretended to praise but it was a physical show of something you never felt spiritually? God doesn’t need you to “show” a single person how to perform. Exit stage left, Sis! Your performance has been cancelled.

This last public sermon of Jesus is found in Matthew 23. Starting in verse 1, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The teachers of religious laws and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called Rabbi.'” Then, verse 11, “The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus is telling the Pharisees to stop the show, and he’s telling his people to stop following the show. Yes, did you hear that? Stop following the show. If it’s become all about them, then it’s not all about Jesus, and it’s not for you. Have we become so entertained by the show that we’re following the very things Jesus said, “don’t follow.”

Girl, who are you following? For real, who’s life do you follow? Who’s reels do you watch? Who’s videos flood your feed? Who’s posts do you read? Are these people with an impressive show, but they’re not showing you Jesus, they’re just showing you them. (And it’s all really just a show.) Their show is to impress you, and that’s a problem. Jesus says, “Everything they do is for show. Don’t follow them.”

Unfollow. Delete. Disconnect. Seriously.

Now, look at all that space you have for Jesus again!

I’ve become a geek about God’s word. I love to dig deeper and understand the time and deeper meaning of words that we may be missing. So, what are the prayer boxes and tassels Jesus refers to? He says in verse 5, “Everything they do is for show. On the arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.”

These prayer boxes were called a phylactery. PHIL-LACK-TURY (There’s a new word for you!) It was a small leather box with long leather straps to tie onto your head and your arm. Inside the small box were tiny scrolls of scripture. Moses instructed men of God in Deuteronomy 6:8 to “Tie God’s commands on your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders.” It was a physical way to keep God’s word close.

That’s a good thing, right? Yes, until it becomes about the show. The Pharisees made their boxes bigger and bigger. You know, kind of like our hair in the 80’s kept getting bigger to be seen, their phylacteries kept getting bigger. It was ridiculous how big they made these boxes to tie on their heads and arms to impress everyone who saw them with their spiritual superiority.

And they did it with the tassels on their robes too. The Lord told Moses in Numbers 15: 38-40, “Make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.”

Tassels were a good thing, but the Pharisees took this good thing and made it about themselves. They began making their tassels extra long for a more dramatic show. The longer and more elaborate those tassels were, the more spiritually impressive they must have appeared. And Jesus said, “STOP FOLLOWING THEM!”

The show must be stopped. The performance is repulsive.

Are you following someone who is trying to look better than everyone else? There’s your red flag.

Are you trying to look better hoping someone will follow? Huge red flag.

My brother was a pastor for many years. A ridiculously good pastor. He started preaching in a tiny country church in Missouri, then he moved to Tampa Florida to be a staff pastor at a mega church. There, he was put through a class of how their staff pastors were to appear on stage. He was taken to the mall, told to purchase a $300 pair of jeans, and keep them in the freezer so they always looked sharp. That’s right, pastor, wear these expensive, frozen jeans, and don’t wash them. I couldn’t make that up! It was all a show to impress the right people. He left there as soon as he could.

Your show and your performance is not impressive to Jesus. Remember the story of him going to Martha’s house for dinner? While Martha was working on an impressive meal for Jesus, her sister Mary just sat at Jesus’ feet listening to his every word. Imagine Martha in the kitchen, all mad. She’s being extra loud with the pots and pans. Have you ever done that? No one is helping you, so you start being all extra about it? Then Martha throws some extra flour on her face and comes out to get Jesus involved.

Luke 10: 40-42, “Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.’ But the Lord said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha was focused on performance. She wanted to deliver an impressive meal for Jesus.

Mary was focused on presence. She just wanted to sit close to Jesus and be with him.

Where have you been performing, but you’ve lacked presence? All that show will be taken away. It will come crumbling down. Decide now you just want to be present. You don’t need to wear frozen jeans, big prayer boxes on your head, or extra long tassels to be admired by anyone. Jesus isn’t impressed.

Hear him now as he says, “My girl, I’ll never love you more than I do right now. You don’t have to perform for me.”

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