Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem and when the moment is right, James & John take Jesus aside and ask him to grant them a favour. It’s a simple enough request. They want to sit on his right and left hand sides in glory. They’ve understood what he’s just told them about his impending death and resurrection. They know that he’ll be raised to glory, and they want to be there sharing in that glory. Well, Jesus says, they will share in his glory, but not the way they’re thinking of. In any case the place of honour will go to those that God will determine. Well you’re probably not surprised that when the other disciples hear about this they’re indignant with James and John. It’s fairly clear why they’re indignant isn’t it? It isn’t because they think that disciples should hang back and act like servants. It’s because James and John have tried to beat them to the punch. They’re cross because James & John seem to think they might be more important than the rest. So Jesus stops and talks to them about greatness; about the true path to power and authority.
Jesus talks to them about the two types of leadership in the world, the two types of power that people wield. He says you know well enough how secular authorities love to wield their power; how they love to lord it over their subjects. But it’s not to be like that with you. That isn’t how it works in the Kingdom of God. In God’s kingdom greatness comes from servanthood. "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all." (Mark 10:43-44 NRSV) He goes on to point to his own example. "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."" (Mark 10:45 NRSV) Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and became obedient even to death. But of what did he empty himself? Of his glory and power.
Our topic today is the temptation to wield power. Nietsche the German philosopher once said "Basic to the human personality is the will to power." That means that every part of our human society is affected: whether it’s politics, or business, or education, or marriage, or family, or even religion, even the Church. In every part of human life the will to power has its impact.
But having said that, there are two types of power. There are negative, destructive powers and there are positive, creative powers. There are powers that seek to control others for their own purposes, and there are powers that are motivated by love and the needs of others. Our task as Christians is to identify which is which and choose the latter.
You see, when you look at the life of Jesus, it was a life characterised by power. Let me just give you a few examples from the gospels. (Luke 4:36 NRSV) "They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, "What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!"" (Luke 5:17 NRSV) "One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal." (John 10:18 NRSV) [Jesus said:] "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.""
By contrast Pilate at Jesus’ trial claimed to have power that Jesus said wasn’t really his: (John 19:10-11 NRSV) "Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" 11Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.""
Jesus had real power. Power to heal, power to cast out evil spirits, but he never used his power against others or to promote himself. His power was controlled by his love to the end that others might be set free and grow into what God wanted them to be. When he did use power, as he did when he cleared the Temple, it was for the sake of others, so the Temple would be a place of prayer. Jesus often used powerful words against the Pharisees, but it wasn’t to exploit them or manipulate them. It was aimed at bringing them to repentance.
Think about your own life. Ask yourself is the wielding of power something that you grapple with? Remember that both men and women are prone to this temptation, but the means might be different. For men it might be by physical dominance, or by force of character, by raised voice or threatening tone. For women it might be by manipulation, by emotional argument, by the use of sexual attraction, by backbiting and gossip, by exclusivity and forming of cliques. But whatever form it takes it’s the same thing. It’s an attempt to control others for your own benefit. If this is a temptation for you then you need to repent of it and seek the Lord’s help to be more Christ-like in your dealings with others. To reflect the standards of the Kingdom as demonstrated by Christ himself. To be a servant of others the way he was. Do act the way he did at the last supper, when he got down on his knees and washed the disciples feet. That’s the model for us as Christians: to be foot washers, servants of others.
But let’s think what that would look like in the various arenas in which we operate.
Power and the Church
The book of James has a lot to say about power in the church. The first reading today said a bit about it. Teachers are to be careful how they use their authority because they’ll be judged more strictly. He warns about the use of the tongue for wielding power. He warns those who think they’re wise but are really working from selfish ambition. He says true wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Earlier in his letter he warns about showing partiality to those who are rich, and in claiming faith in Christ when your works don’t match up.
One of the saddest things you can hear is that a Church has been split apart because of some power play that’s been going on there. Moving in clergy circles I hear lots of such stories. Sometimes it’s the Church that’s been torn apart. Sometimes it’s the minister. One of the reason so many clergy resign before they get anywhere near the retiring age is because of conflict in the church, and that conflict is most often to do with power.
What happens in some places is that a certain group within the church band together to ensure that what they like is what happens and that nothing happens that they don’t like. So they stack the vestry or they withhold funds. They have a network that vets any proposal that comes up. I remember a clergy friend not far from here telling me how relieved he was when an elderly member of the congregation died, because he was a power broker from way back. It sounds terrible doesn’t it, but he’d held back so much progress in that church by his wielding of power that his death could only be a positive thing. I wonder did he ever realise how glad people would be when he was gone!
But of course the use of power can be much more overt. Those who have positions of authority, particularly preachers and teachers, need to be careful that they don’t use that authority to manipulate people for their own ends, or to build up their own egos or to please people by telling them what they want to hear rather than what God wants them to hear. If you ever see me doing that you should warn me, but lovingly, not just as a way of wielding your own bit of power. Remember that James warns that teachers will be judged all the more strictly.
Power and the Family
What about in the Family? The Bible is very clear that the use of power in the family is not to be contemplated. Rather the model for family life is mutual submission: wives to husbands, husbands to wives, parents to children, children to parents. It’s very sad that the things the bible says about this have so often been misused by men to justify violence against their wives. Some men have taken the command for wives to submit to their husbands as giving them the right to dominate their wives, to use power and violence against them. Then they’ve told their wives that God hates divorce., so they’ll just have to put up with it. But listen to what God says about that through the prophet Malachi: (Mal 2:16 NRSV) "I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless." God’s words there are directed at men, not at women, warning them about God’s anger at them when they use violence against their wives and when they’re unfaithful to them.
How are you who are married going to relate to your spouses. Will it be by wielding power, or will it be by mutual submission? Will you live for your own benefit or for that of your spouse?
Similarly, those of us who have children: will our interaction with our children be motivated by love and care for their well-being, or by our desire to be in control? To have them under our sway? To be looked up to as the source of all power and authority? That’s how some parents act, particularly some fathers. But when you say it like that it makes it a bit clearer what’s happening doesn’t it? The desire to be the source of all power and authority is really a desire to be like God. Who do you want your children to look to as God, as Lord of their lives? Is it you, or is it God himself? If it’s God, then for heaven’s sake don’t you try to be God. That’ll only distort their view of the true God. No, far better to point them to God by the example of a humble and loving heart, to point them to Christ as you show by example that he’s Lord of your life.
Power and Business.
What about those of you who are in the workforce. My guess is that most are surrounded by power all the time. The power of ego, the power of money, the power of sex, the power of position. And when you’re in that situation, the temptation is to fight fire with fire, to overcome the power mongers by your own efforts at wielding power. Yet think about how Jesus lived. Rather than return power for power, he turned the other cheek. When he was cursed he didn’t retaliate. He gave up his rights for the sake of others.
But this isn’t easy is it? There’s a fine line between not wielding power and ending up a doormat. It’s difficult to live with integrity when others are trying to knock you down in their climb upwards. Yet Jesus calls us to do that. I was reading the other day that Jesus calls his disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him and the writer asked, can someone carrying a cross have a career path? It may be that following Christ stops us from going on in some organisations because they’re so ungodly in the way they operate or at least in the way they judge success. But this isn’t always the case.
Nicky Gumbel in one of the Alpha course talks told the story of a man who worked for the owner of Harrods. One day a customer called and the owner told this man to say he wasn’t there. He ignored the request and told the truth. The owner was outraged that he would ignore his instructions, but the man told him "If I lie to your customers, I can lie to you. Which would you prefer. Someone you can trust or someone you’ll never be sure about?" That man went on to become one of the most trusted advisors in the organisation. I have a friend who is quite open in speaking her mind to her boss, even when they’re at odds with one another. She was a bit worried that this wasn’t doing her any good in her workplace, until he told her one day that she was one of the few people who’s opinion he valued. You see, there is an inherent value in a person of integrity that good managers will recognise. Most people like to know that they can trust you and that you’ll tell them the truth, even if it isn’t palatable.
Similarly for those in positions of power in the workplace due to their position, there’s a need to exercise that power responsibly and fairly. If you’re the boss, Paul says, then you’re to treat your employees with care, knowing that there’s no favouritism with God. Make sure that you give them their just pay and conditions. When you act do so knowing that God is watching what you do.
The Power of God for Good
Finally, remember that the power of God is available to us for doing his will. The message of the gospel is the power of God for salvation for those who believe. The goal of God’s new society, the Church, is this: (Eph 4:12-13 NRSV) "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ." That’s where we should be focussing the power of God that’s at work within us. So when we wield power it must only be for that purpose, to build up, to unite, to strengthen the people of God. If you have power in the church make sure it’s used to strengthen the community of the faithful. If you’re in a position of power on the family, make sure it’s used to build up rather than tear down. If you’re in a position of power in business use that power to promote a sense of corporate community and teamwork rather than competition.
The Power of Prayer
And if you want real power in your life, then remember where that power comes from. It comes from God, from his Holy Spirit working within us. So ask him for the power you need. Remember that the battles we fight against temptation are spiritual battles. We’ll only win the battle with God’s help. So prayer becomes our greatest weapon. Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians with a warning about the spiritual battles we face as Christians and concludes with this exhortation: (Eph 6:18 NRSV) "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints." If you want to gain power over power, then this is your best hope. Pray for God’s power in your life.
