Reference no: EM133669694

Question

The second section of Nouwen's lecture, "From Popularity to Ministry" highlights the temptation Jesus faced from the devil when he is faced with the opportunity to throw himself from the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. In this internet and social media age which screams out to humans to be loud, to be liked, to be noticed, and to get reactions (whether in comments or "likes") feels crucial; relevance demands a person to become larger and larger; while the gospel suggests to be like John the Baptist who says in the Gospel of John, "I must diminish, he must increase." Henri Nouwen thus suggests that in order to counteract the impulse to heroic individualism that we remember that ministry is mutual. "...Jesus sent out the twelve in pairs. Contemporary believers seem to keep forgetting that they are being sent out two by two. Humans cannot bring good news on our own". But he also asserts that even when believers are sent out together, "Somehow we have come to believe that good leadership requires a safe distance from those we are called to lead". This particular temptation is difficult to overcome in a modern.