Lessons in True Power
Series: Encountering Jesus (through the Gospel of Luke)
Brad Bailey – June 2, 2019
Text: Luke 9:43-55
Intro
In shaping the lives of those who enter the reign of God… Jesus is reorienting human nature to live in the way true life really is.
There are many aspects of life which Jesus must reorient us about…but none more underlying than our understanding of power.
When the Kingdom of God comes… it brings the true power that reigns over all of existence… and by nature it confronts the powers that have sought to rule over us…and within us.
To appreciate what Jesus challenges us with today… it may be helpful to realize that the Scriptures tell us that what unfolded long ago was the vanity of seeking power and control… apart from God. But separated from God…we are left enslaved to the false pursuit of power that can only try to take from others.
The next scene is one brother rising in envy against another…and consuming their life.
It’s common to think in terms of the power of God and the powers of evil as simply competing powers of the same type…two forces trying to prove which is stronger…but in truth, it is between utterly distinct forms of power…one eternal and ultimate…the source of everything… that gives life to all…. and the other is merely false and temporal attempt to find our own glory… and seeks to find it in what it can take from others.
That is why Jesus spoke so much about money, sex, and anger… in truth what he spoke about was greed, lust, and the desire to destroy others… because they are all related to this deceitful pursuit of the false power that tries to consume from others.
There is a vanity in the nature of power that has been at the root of the world as we know it ever since.
Few truths have hung over humanity like those captured by John Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries…when he stated:
“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – John Acton, English Historian
An observation that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. [1]
Many may be familiar with J.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”
… which over the past decade became one of the most popular stories.
At the center of the story lies the power of a ring which was created by Sauron the Dark Lord to gain dominion over the free peoples of Middle-earth.
The Ring slowly but inevitably corrupted its bearer, regardless of the bearer's initial intent. This corrupting power was apparently stronger on individuals more inclined to evil and selfishness.
This is captured most dramatically in the character of the hobbit Sméagol… who finds the ring…and who in time is reduced to the hideous creature known as Gollum. [2] Here Tolkien was capturing the tragic pursuit of power that consumes human life.
So as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus seeking to reorient our lives in regards to power.
Luke 9:43-45?43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men." 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Begins… with how those who encountered Jesus were amazed at the greatness of God.
“While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did …”
It’s at this point that Jesus stops and says… listen carefully… as if he knew that such amazement was unprepared to understand the true nature of God’s power… he stops…and tells them what they do not yet understand…
“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men."
And it was like hearing a foreign language…they couldn’t make sense of such a statement.
It goes against the nature of what they wanted… what they thought of as “great.”
The Messiah was the hope of a new king… one that would by nature be more powerful than the Roman Empire.
We can join here today…and see how Jesus was more powerful than the Roman Empire…than the religious establishment…than all the powers that ruled this world. Those empires fell….and he rose. His reign has grown across time in the hearts of human lives.
BUT… we still face the challenge regarding what type of power we believe in.
So the initial truth that comes through is that….
1. Greatness lies not in the power of human force and control…but in the power that sacrificially defies such vanity in submission to God.
Jesus reveals that power and control are temporary illusions that keep people from being free and forgiven children of God who recognize that God is the only power and the only one ultimately in control of the universe.
Jesus knows that at the root of our human problem lies our submission to human power and control.
The simple truth is that we believe in the ultimate power of human force.
The Bible is clear about the role of human force… it has a place. Human force… that exercised by governments and military and law enforcement… is understood as … to contain the consequences of evil… and to such Jesus never rebuked the soldier… and this past Monday (Memorial Day)… rightly honored the service and sacrifice of those who serve to protect.
What Jesus is revealing is what many at the forefront of war know most deeply – might does not make one right…there is a rightness that defies mere human mightiness
Rightness will do right… even at the hands of human force… defy it.
The power of God transcends the powers of mere human force.
Therein lies the greatness of God.
And this helps us to understand why Jesus was quite clear that no one was taking his life… he was giving it. Jesus was not ultimately being overcome by the vain powers of this world… he was giving himself to the power of God to redeem this world. And to this…he was exalted. [3]
He was not submitting himself to human force…but to God’s power to raise him… to the power which truly reigns. [4]
Being betrayed into the hands of men was not a reflection of weakness…but of a more ultimate power.
He was declaring… I will submit myself to these hands…but watch…and you will see that it is God’s kingdom that will overcome.
• It’s order will ultimately reign over the chaos.
• It’s love will ultimately reign over that which seeks to destroy.
• The will of God will come to pass…over all human force.
In declaring such submission… it only becomes clearer how hard this was for the disciples to grasp. Luke continues….
Luke 9:46-48
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest."
Wow. Not a proud moment. (It tells us so much about the genuineness of the Gospel accounts. The ones who carry the story are the ones who look the worst. And Luke hides none of it.)
This is one of those moments when you are acting really shamefully… you think no one else could ever hear it. But it turns out to be like one of those bad moments that someone else was hearing. Like those who discovered that their Alexi device recorded their whole conversation.
What were they after? Being given the place closest to power… and particularly by way of social status and authority. [5]
They never had been close to power…but now they are disciples of the Messiah… and they can taste the power… the power of recognition… authority… and it feels good. The only question is which one is the greatest among them. [6]
Who might stand closest to him? Because those at the right hand of power … closest to the source… are associated with sharing that power.
So what does Jesus do? Jesus not only identifies one such life… he brings them to his side… that position they had all been claiming they were best suited for…and he said that true greatness will be more like that child.
Takes a young child… not amidst a culture that cherishes children…but one in which children were deemed to have value only in what they would bring in the future. While still a child…they had no rights or social influence. In the Judaism of that day, a child under 12 could not be taught the Torah, and so to spend time with them was considered a waste. [7]
Jesus was showing that His followers must welcome and be kind to those whom society regarded as unimportant. Not only was this child not unimportant; by receiving ones such as this, Jesus’ disciples actually receive Him and the Father who sent Him.
Why? Because the true power that comes from God is that which gives… rather than takes. When you receive that child… you receive the way of the king and his kingdom. God will not let the self-serving nature of human social status define what is valuable.
He seeks every life as equally valued.
2. Greatness lies not in the power to gain social status but in the power to lift up the value of the least.
I think some of us know… that if we are talking to someone that is considered important … we feel excited… and others… we may be kind…but we don’t feel the same.
At some level…it is our vanity. To the degree that social importance of those standing in front of us affects us…we are slaves of the power that seeks to consume us.
So who can save us?
A child.
They free you…they are not part of the false power reflected in social status.
Young children are less inclined to see or value you for how much money you have… for what car you drive… for you marital status… for your formal education.
If you want to break the power of social status…there are children which will teach you.
And of course there are other forms of social power and that which transcends it. Jesus refers elsewhere to the “least” …which really refers to the least in social power.
I am reminded of Henri Nouwen - Taught at Yale, Notre Dame, and Harvard… he chose to leave all the esteem of such social status to go live in residential community that was rooted in those with mental disabilities. It was there he found his greatest freedom and joy….because he found what it meant to be free of all the social status. No one there related based on social status.
Pride is fed by our association with the “important”; humility is fed by our association with the “lowly.”
True Greatness lies not in the vanity of this world’s social status social status which power of lording over others of social status but in the power of lifting up the value of the least.
It couldn’t get more humbling for those Jesus is forming. Well… Luke continues…
Luke 9:49-50
49 "Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." 50 "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Some of the disciples had come across a man who was driving out demons in the name of Jesus. In fact John seems to indicate that they were indeed responding. So what was the problem?
“He is not one of us.”
What poignant words.
He is doing fine but is not part of our group… he hasn’t gone through all our official designation… and training.
Our special distinction won’t be as special if he can do the same thing.
It will diminish our special privilege.
So what did they do, they tried to stop him. Naturally… this kind of behavior wasn’t sanctioned by Jesus….so the disciples expected Jesus to pat them on the back for this one – a job well done in protecting the integrity of their ministry. But Jesus turns to them and sighs. He says “Don’t stop him. Whoever is not against you is for you.”
3. Greatness lies not in the power of competition, but in the power to bless all that serves God’s purposes, even if beyond our turf and type.
The power that we try to hold onto… that is rooted in insecurity…is always weakness. It is operating out of the illusion of our having something special… something we control.
It is the most basic of human jealousy…that needs to put down or stop anyone who may diminish our own sense of success.
It is that insecurity that we feel so ashamed of… so we rarely express it so obviously.
We might just make sure others know that their success is not all it seems to be.
It’s interesting that this dynamic should seem to arise in the very nature of ministry with Jesus. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that it is played out in the hearts of those lead such ministry today. The nature of the modern church can be both very personal in nature for the pastor… who is then given plenty of points in which to criticize others.
I help gather pastors who serve across the Westside…to meet monthly…to share our lives and to pray together. I have done so throughout my 27 years of serving here… not because they need it…but because I need it. I need it to help mitigate the vanity of my own turf and type. When I meet with those with small groups…I discover such godliness… and special ways God is being glorified. When I meet with those with the largest of church attendance… the power of competition that wants to see them struggle is checked by the true good that is being served.
The simple truth is that Pride is fed by competition; humility is fed by cooperation
We might think the disciples had showed all their vanity…and ours…but Luke continues with yet one more exchange at this juncture….
Luke 9:51-55
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
Wow. They seem a little hasty to smoke the Samaritans !
To appreciate the feelings going on… it helps to understand the relationship that is represented here.
Jesus is leading the way where? …Jerusalem.
And this route has taken the land of who at this point? ….The Samaritans.
As some may have heard…there is a great deal of animosity between Jews and Samaritans.
The Samaritans had become something of a culturally hybrid people.
Their roots went back to being part of the Jewish northern kingdom…but they had given themselves to the idolatry of the Assyrians.
While the Jews honored Jerusalem as the holy city …the Samaritans
Had made Mt. Gerizim the center of their worship. They had built their own temple there. But not long before this point…that temple was destroyed by a zealous Jewish king. So there is no surprise here about why the Samaritans didn’t welcome this Jewish group, and especially Jews making a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.
And the Jews looked upon the Samaritan people as those who had betrayed their own culture and God… so they are ready to call down fire. [8]
While we might think that the disciples were acting in some extreme manner… they were acting in a way that can run through any of us.
Whenever we want to bring “our judgment” to “our defined enemies.”
We judge them according to how we presume their offense.
Republicans… Democrats… maybe not quite calling down fire to consume them…but quite certain it is the fitting judgment that should be made.
Jesus rebuked them.
Perhaps because it was a very thinly veiled racial and cultural prejudice. The disciples found the Samaritans worthy of death for their prejudice, but did not recognize the same evil in themselves.
Perhaps because it was reflected the insidious self-righteous pride of thinking that they were in a position to bring final judgment.
4. Greatness lies not in the power of our prejudicial superiority and judgment, but the power of humility that leaves final judgment to God alone.
There is a pride that will always enjoy ways to define a right group…and join it.
Once set there…we can do what the right people do…they judge the wrong people.
Jesus’ mission in the incarnation was not to call down fire upon sinners to consume them, His mission in the incarnation was to be consumed by God's fire in the place of sinners.
It may not seem like the disciple’s best day…but it doesn’t change what God is doing for them…and for all.
I think all of us would like God to see us only in our finest hour, when we've been the most faithful, the most zealous for Him, the most caring for others…but it was in the midst of all that Jesus was seeing in the disciples…that he set himself towards Jerusalem.
They want to call down judgment…and he is heading to receive the judgment they deserve upon himself.
That is the Gospel. That is greatness.
Closing:
All of these lessons reflect the challenge of wanting power and control.
Jesus knows this is the essence of what will deceive us… consume us.
One disciple… Judas…would indeed become consumed… betray him.
But there is good news.
The other disciples would come to see what Jesus had proclaimed.
His resurrection was the start of a realization… only a start because they still feared the powers of Rome…but then came the empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon them…and they realized that God was filling them with the power of life from heaven…God was overcoming.
And they too would give themselves to that power.
Jesus brought them over…and he wants to bring us over.
From believing that human force is the ultimate force.
From the trying to find our importance in the social status of others.
By becoming free from fearing the success of others.
Closing / Responsive worship: Have it all - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WPbs7N-E0Q
Resources: Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III - “Who Is the Greatest?”; Confronting the Disciples' Pride (Luke 9:46-56) by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Notes:
1. Similar observations of problems with human power:
Shakespeare’s McBeth is recognized as such a story of power corrupting as well. - https://macbethdelta2.weebly.com/corrution-from-power.html
Humorous Star Trek moment discussing problem of power - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI4WLHZNFmo
How Power Corrupts the Mind
Pity the despot. - BRIAN RESNICKNATIONAL JOURNAL, JUL 9, 2013
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/how-power-corrupts-the-mind/277638/
2. Tolkein’s “ring”…
A good presentation of Tolkien’s ring and what it reflects regarding evil and power - Good and Evil in The Lord of the Rings by Keith Mathison
Also - “As an object of evil, the ring strives to destroy a person’s free will and transform them into a host of evil. Tolkien states that the ring will corrupt whoever is in possession of it. This gives the idea of imprisonment for the soul purpose of fulfilling the rings goal, destruction. As Sméagol continues his obsession over the ring, it eats away at him and overpowers any individualism he once had. “ - https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Symbolism-of-Evil-in-J-R-R-PKCGSGWZVJ
And some basic aspects as noted in Wikipedia summary –
In the sequel, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien ascribes to the Ring a darker character, with malevolent power going far beyond conferring invisibility: it was created by Sauron the Dark Lord as part of his design to win dominion over Middle-earth. The Lord of the Ringsconcerns the quest to destroy the Ring to keep Sauron from fulfilling his design.
The One Ring was forged by the Dark Lord Sauron during the Second Age to gain dominion over the free peoples of Middle-earth. In disguise as Annatar, or "Lord of Gifts", he aided the Elven smiths of Eregion and their leader Celebrimborin the making of the Rings of Power. He then forged the One Ring himself in the fires of Mount Doom.[1]
Sauron intended it to be the most powerful of all Rings, able to rule and control those who wore the others. Since the other Rings were themselves powerful, Sauron was obliged to place much of his own power into the One to achieve his purpose.[2]
Creating the Ring simultaneously strengthened and weakened Sauron's power. On the one hand, as long as Sauron had the Ring, he could control the power of all the other Rings, and thus he was significantly more powerful after its creation than before;[3] and putting such a great portion of his own power into the Ring ensured Sauron's continued existence so long as the Ring existed. On the other hand, by binding his power within the Ring, Sauron became dependent on it—without it, his power was significantly diminished.[1][3]
The Ring slowly but inevitably corrupted its bearer, regardless of the bearer's initial intent. This corrupting power was apparently stronger on individuals more inclined to evil and selfishness: it took almost immediate hold of the greedy Sméagol as soon as he saw it, and corrupted Boromir after a few months of near proximity, while its effects were only starting to be seen in the well-meaning Bilbo after his sixty years' possession. Even the Wise such as Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel were not immune; Gandalf refused Frodo's offer of the Ring for fear that he would succumb to its influence. Rather than wielding it, therefore, the Wise determined that it should be destroyed.
The Ring's primary power was control of the other Rings of Power and domination of the wills of their users.[7] The Ring also conferred power to dominate the wills of other beings whether they were wearing Rings or not—but only in proportion to the user's native capacity. In the same way, it amplified any inherent power its owner possessed.[7]
A mortal wearing the Ring became effectively invisible except to those able to perceive the non-physical world, with only a thin, shaky shadow discernible in the brightest sunlight.[7]
From Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Ring
3. This is what is described in the prophetic nature of Isaiah 52 and then described by Paul in what appears to be an early Christian hymn… 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
4. Jesus wanted to be quite clear: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:18 (NIV)
5. Many note that this followed the transfiguration…and that the potential for rivalry may have come from this. As one wrote: “Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John with Him to the Mount of Transfiguration, leaving the other nine in the valley below, where they hadn’t been able to cast the demon out of the boy. Although Jesus had commanded Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone what they had seen on the mountain until after His resurrection, they probably felt privileged for what they had seen there. Perhaps some of the nine were thinking, “Why is that blabbermouth Peter in the inner circle? And why does Jesus pick those hotheaded brothers, James and John? I’m a much better disciple than they are!” And perhaps Peter, James, and John were thinking, “If these guys had seen what we saw, they wouldn’t have any problem casting out that demon! They just need to get their act together!” So there was rivalry and competition among the twelve.”
6. Three times, and maybe more, the disciples argue about which of them would be the greatest -- here in 9:46-48, just before Jesus' final ministry in Jerusalem (Matthew 20:20-28), and, amazingly, at the Last Supper (Luke 22:24) which probably prompted Jesus to wash the disciples' feet and so teach them true humility (John 13:4-17). This was an ongoing problem, one that wasn't learned the first time Jesus taught his disciples.
This issue is also raised by Jesus and Paul in other contexts…
Matthew 20:25-26 (NIV) ?Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ?1 Peter 5:2-4 (NIV) ?Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
7. Cited by another - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Eerdmans], 5:646-647).
8. This feud, like many in the Middle East, was centuries old. In 722 BC, the Northern Kingdom (Samaria), which had embraced idolatry, was largely exiled to Assyria, and repopulated by the Assyrians with other conquered peoples. The resulting mixture of both peoples and religions brought enmity between Jews and Samaritans. While the Samaritans now adopted the Pentateuch as their Bible, they rejected the rest of the Old Testament. Mt. Gerizim was the center of their worship. They had built their own temple there, probably in the Fourth Century BC, but that temple was destroyed in 129-128 BC by John Hyrcanus, Judean king and son of Jewish zealot Simon Maccabeus. No wonder the Samaritans hated the Jews, and especially Jews making a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. But their hatred was matched by that of the Jews who viewed them as heretics and half-breeds. - http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/9_46-56.htm
Because Jesus is travelling with a party of at least twelve and probably more, he sends ahead to find food and accommodations for his group that might otherwise overwhelm a small village's resources. While on another occasion Jesus is received in Samaria (John 4:1-42), rejection of a party headed toward Jerusalem was almost predictable. - http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/9_46-56.htm
