Jesus Was Bad at Self-Promotion (And That’s a Good Thing)

“Jesus, buddy, we need to work on your brand recognition. The healings are great—love the blind-seeing bit—but could we get a few more testimonials? Maybe a strategic partnership with the Pharisees? No? Okay, how about some merch? A ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’ tote bag? A ‘Salt & Light’ influencer course? At the very least, please stop actively discouraging people from sharing your message.”

And yet, despite every rule of influence, Jesus changed everything.

Which raises a question: In a world obsessed with visibility, what if the truest light doesn’t come from trying to be seen?

The World’s Obsession with Visibility

We live in an age where everything is about building a platform. Pastors have branding consultants. Influencers teach “authenticity” courses. Even your dog needs a social media presence if it wants to be taken seriously.

There’s a cultural expectation that if you have something important to say, you should be working nonstop to make it go viral. The assumption is that influence equals visibility.

Yet Jesus, who had the greatest message of all time, didn’t seem remotely concerned with this. In fact, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid the spotlight.

• He performed miracles and then told people not to tell anyone.
• He preached in ways that confused the masses instead of simplifying the message for mass appeal.
• He regularly left large crowds to go pray alone.

This is not how you “win the algorithm.”

And still, his impact didn’t just last—it grew. It spread from a handful of disciples to the ends of the earth, not because Jesus went viral, but because his truth was undeniable.

So what if we’ve misunderstood what it means to shine?

Shining Without Striving

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14).

Notice what he didn’t say:

• You should try to be the light.
• If you work hard enough, you might become light.
• Here’s a 7-step strategy to maximize your brightness.

No. He simply said, you are.

Light doesn’t have to try to be light. Its nature is to shine. It doesn’t need a marketing plan, a growth strategy, or a visibility campaign. It just needs to be uncovered so it can do what it was made to do.

But what happens in our world?

We get convinced that light is a performance. That we need to manufacture influence. That shining means working relentlessly to be seen. And so we hustle, promote, curate, and exhaust ourselves—because we think the only way to matter is to be noticed.

Meanwhile, Jesus shined simply by being fully present in the truth.

What if we stopped striving to be seen and simply were the light we’re called to be?

Faithfulness Over Fame

Jesus was never interested in being the most followed influencer. He was interested in truth, transformation, and presence.

He could have easily leveraged his miracles for maximum exposure. He could have amassed power, built an empire, controlled the media narrative. Instead, he stayed rooted in something deeper.

And that’s why his light lasted.

Fame fades. Influence built on spectacle disappears when the next big thing comes along. But faithfulness? That’s what endures.

Jesus teaches us that real impact doesn’t come from chasing the world’s attention. It comes from being fully grounded in who we are called to be—right where we are.

Light Isn’t a Performance

Here’s the key: You don’t have to try harder to shine. You already are light. The question isn’t whether you have enough influence. The question is whether you’re putting a basket over what’s already shining.

And let’s be honest: most of us are covering our light not because we aren’t trying hard enough, but because we’re trying too hard in the wrong ways.

• We exhaust ourselves performing instead of simply being present.
• We chase recognition when we’re called to faithfulness.
• We burn out trying to “matter” when we already do.

Jesus shows us a different way. A way where we don’t have to manufacture meaning. A way where our light shines—not because we worked to make it visible, but because it couldn’t help but be seen.

Takeaway: You Don’t Have to Chase It. Just Be It.

Jesus didn’t chase fame, and yet his light changed the world. Maybe the way we truly shine is by showing up, staying rooted, and letting our light do its job—without forcing it.

Because light doesn’t have to earn its brightness. It just has to be uncovered.