ALL SCRIPTURES POINT TO JESUS (PART XIV)

“When Self Becomes an Idol”

By Akin Ojumu

Idolatry is the worship of someone or something other than God as if they were God. In the typical polytheistic fashion, there are as many gods of men as there are men of gods, and there are varieties of something or someone that people worship. Some worship deities, nature, and ancestors. Others worship tangible and intangible things such as success, fame, fortune, food, and freedom.

Of all the objects of man’s devotion, the worship of self tops them all. Self-worship, aka autolatry or self-idolatry, is the excessive admiration or devotion to oneself, often to the point of making oneself the object of worship. Autolatry manifests in different forms. One of its most insidious forms is narcissistic eisegesis, aka narcigesis. 

Coined from Narcissism (i.e., self-absorption and an overinflated sense of self-importance) and Eisegesis (i.e., to read one’s opinion into a Bible passage), narcigesis is reading oneself into a Bible passage and making oneself the hero of the Bible story.

A common narcigestic approach to interpreting Bible stories and Bible passages is seen in the narcissistic eisegesis of the story of David and Goliath by modern-day preachers. Very often, these theologically illiterate preachers take this profound story and twist it to mean that they and their audience are the David killing the Goliaths in their lives. What they fail to understand is that David is a type of Christ. They are ignorant of the fact that the victory of David over Goliath is the foreshadowing of the redemption story when Christ would defeat sin and death.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Another Bible story that people use as a tool for their idolatrous self-worship is the story of Joseph. Like David, the story of Joseph is a redemption story that points to Christ. And as we’ve pointed out severally in this commentary series, the story of Joseph is one that, by far, most parallels the life of Christ.

In today’s installment of the commentary series, we’ll continue where we stopped almost 3 weeks ago by examining another connection between Joseph and Jesus.

Connection 33: Do whatever he tells you to do.

Not long after the seven-year famine that Joseph had told Pharaoh would happen had begun, the people of Egypt ran out of the food they had stored up during the previous seven years of plenty. Hungry and starving, they cried out to Pharaoh for food. In response, Pharaoh directed them to Joseph, instructing them to do whatever Joseph tells them to do.

Genesis 41:53-55

“The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.””

The parallel between this story and what happened at the wedding in Cana is profound. In both instances, a period of abundance preceded a period of insufficiency. Plenty was followed by scarcity. 

Just like Pharaoh told the Egyptians, when they ran out of food, to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them to do, when the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, Mary, the mother of Jesus, instructed the host to do whatever Jesus told them to do. 

John 2:1-5

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””

In both Egypt and Cana, there was a restoration of abundance through the hands of a savior. Just as Joseph provided sustenance to the Egyptians, Christ replenished the wine at the wedding in Cana.

The turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana is one of the many miracles recorded in the Gospel of John to demonstrate the divinity and deity of Christ. The others include the following: 

1. Healing the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54)

2. Healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15)

3. Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)

4. Walking on water (John 6:15-21)

5. Healing the blind man (John 9:1-41)

6. Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45).

All of these stories are recorded in the Bible for our benefit so that we may know and believe that Jesus Christ is God. None of these stories is meant to be interpreted narcigestically to promote self-worship and self-glorification. Those who use them to advance the idolatry of self are in violation of the First Commandment.

Exodus 20:2-6

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” 

We’ll take it from here next time.