Have you ever noticed how some people love to drop names of the important people they know or brands they associate with? Ever wondered why they do that? What are they hoping to gain?
Name-dropping is a form of “status by affiliation.” By associating themselves with well-known people or admired brands, they seek to increase their social standing. According to Seth Godin, people often make choices to protect or elevate their status within their chosen communities. This type of status is all about aligning oneself with something—or someone—that represents influence or prestige.
Take, for example, wearing a particular luxury brand to communicate not just wealth, but alignment with certain values or social groups. It’s a subtle yet powerful way to broadcast who you are or who you aspire to be.
Motivation Behind Status by Affiliation
The motivation to build status through affiliation often comes down to two primary desires:
- Belonging: By affiliating with influential people or groups, individuals often aim to feel a part of something greater, gaining social standing as a result.
- Prestige: Associating oneself with someone prestigious—through name-dropping or other means—is an attempt to boost one’s own image. It can be a shortcut to feeling important without necessarily doing something remarkable.
Status and Affiliation in Jesus’ Time
Interestingly, the concept of status by affiliation isn’t new. In Jesus’ time, following a rabbi was a prestigious honor in Jewish society. The title of “talmid” (disciple) meant much more than just being a student—it meant being aligned with someone of great wisdom and status. A rabbi was not just a scholar; he was a spiritual leader deeply respected in the community, a symbol of authority and understanding.
Only a select few would be chosen to follow a rabbi, which added to the exclusivity and prestige of being a disciple. This is precisely why James, John, Simon Peter, Andrew, and others left behind their trades and businesses when Jesus invited them. They recognized an opportunity for elevation—a boost in social status, perhaps even a role in the future kingdom they thought Jesus would bring.
Consider the ambition of James, John, and even their mother, who boldly asked Jesus, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:37, NLT). Their hopes weren’t just for spiritual growth—they envisioned tangible rewards and positions of honor.
A Radical Redefinition of Affiliation
But Jesus had a different definition of greatness. He wasn’t interested in providing wealth, power, or prestige to His followers. Instead, affiliation with Jesus meant servanthood and humility—something deeply unsettling to those who expected the perks of discipleship. Peter’s honest question—”We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” (Matthew 19:27, NLT)—illustrates this well.
Jesus redefined their understanding of affiliation. Washing the disciples’ feet was one of His most vivid demonstrations of this—taking on the role of a servant instead of a position of honor. This act of humility was completely counter-cultural, even to His disciples. It was disorienting; Jesus acknowledged as much when He said, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (John 13:7, NLT).
Paul captures this shift beautifully in Philippians 2:6-7 (NLT): “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” Jesus gave up power and status in favor of servanthood—a radically different model from what anyone expected.
EXPERIENCE: “Who Will Wash Whose Feet?”
To help us understand this challenging call to servanthood, consider an exercise called “Who Will Wash Whose Feet?”
Objective: To confront our resistance to humility and servanthood while revealing our hidden desire for status.
Step 1: Introduce the Exercise
Explain that this activity is inspired by Jesus’ example in John 13:1-17, where He chose to wash His disciples’ feet—a role typically reserved for the lowest servants.
Step 2: Pair Up and Begin Dialogue
Ask the group to pair up, ideally with someone they don’t know very well. Each person should try to convince their partner why they should be the one to wash their partner’s feet, emphasizing their desire to serve. After a few minutes, switch roles and have them argue why the other person should serve them instead.
Step 3: Reflection and Debrief
After everyone has had a chance to both offer and resist, reflect together as a group:
- What was it like to offer to wash someone’s feet?
- How did it feel to resist serving, or to ask your partner to serve you instead?
- What did this exercise reveal about our comfort level with humility and service?
A Call to Trust and Servanthood
Jesus’ call to His disciples—and to us—is not a call to power, wealth, or status. It is a call to humility, to servanthood, and to radical trust. It’s not easy. We live in a culture that tells us our value is found in status, achievement, and recognition. True affiliation with Jesus means being willing to serve, even when it doesn’t elevate us in the eyes of the world.
Peter struggled when Jesus washed his feet because it contradicted his understanding of status and power. We face the same struggle today. Jesus’ invitation is not to a life of comfort or ease but to a life of deep intimacy with Him, a closeness like that between a vine and its branches. As Philippians 2:5-8 (MSG) puts it, “He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status… Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death.”
