What’s the famous line from American Express? Not Karl Malden saying "Don’t leave home without it" but this: "membership has its privileges." It was supposed to suggest that special things await you and only you if you get this card. The slogan is successful because it appeals to something in us that likes to be special - part of the elite group.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with being special - just the fact that God loves us should make us feel special indeed. No, the kind of things I’m thinking of are those that come to those in power.
Probably the biggest example of that we know of is the President of the United States. With that membership you get a football that can blow up the world, people protecting you and people holding others away from you and people respecting you and when you speak everyone listens.
And those that surround the president get some of that aura of power rubbed off on them. That in a way I think is what the disciples of Jesus were thinking. They knew that Jesus was something very special. They saw Him transfigured - Peter even declared that He was the Messiah. That meant power. Jesus gave His disciples power to heal and cast out demons - so the power became more personal.
But in the latter half of chapter 9, Jesus turns power on its head - and shows them and us that if we truly want to serve at the pleasure of the King of Kings - we need a different attitude about power, position, and discipleship.
Verses 37 - 43a
It’s not about power or popularity - It’s not about looking good but doing good
Jesus’ disciples apparently started believing their own press clippings and slipped into the "I can do this!" mentality, not realizing that it really is Jesus doing it all along.
Mark suggests that the disciples were in a heated discussion with the religious leaders present - probably questioning the disciples’ credentials, especially because of their failure to cast out the demon.
Jesus is clearly upset here. In Matthew (16) He says the disciples didn’t have enough faith, in Mark (9) that they didn’t pray - here that their attitude was emblematic of the unbelieving society around them. I see these as all pointing to the same thing - they were not relying on Jesus - they didn’t have faith in him, didn’t seek God, and society as a whole as "faithless and twisted."
Jesus calls the society "twisted." A lot of translations use the word "perverse." The word actually means to twist something around backwards. So what was backwards? We can’t be sure - but based on the rest of the chapter, and the attitudes in the disciples Luke points out, I am of the opinion that it was a power trip.
The disciples had gotten a taste of power when Jesus sent them out and gave them power over demons and to heal - but somehow the source sort of switched from Jesus to them - it became their power to wield, and especially when there was a crowd watching.
How easy is that to happen to us as well? Things start to go well and very subtly, human nature begins to take the credit it. God knew this was creeping into the disciples and so suddenly they couldn’t work the "trick" anymore.
Bottom line - everything you are and have and do is just the power of God flowing through you and Jesus can use ANYBODY to do that work. You are a "broken vessel" as Paul says.
Verses 43b - 45
It’s not about our position, but His sacrifice
Jesus wanted them to know that above all it is about sacrifice - specifically His sacrifice. They didn’t understand then but we understand now. It is about sacrifice - Jesus’ sacrifice.
Verses 46 - 48
It’s not about consolidating power, but by caring for the needs of others
Greatness in God’s kingdom is not the same as in ours. The disciples were looking to get ahead - they were being childish instead of childlike. Children were considered second class citizens - so what Jesus is saying is pretty radical. The word "receive" can also be translated "accept." NIV renders it "welcome." The Message paraphrase adds: "you become great by accepting, not asserting."
Children have an innate ability to trust and to know when they need help. We need that kind of attitude as well - innately trusting in God to supply what we cannot do for ourselves.
The first thing that happens when you come into power is figuring out how to keep it. Jesus is saying - give away your power by giving away yourselves in caring for the needs of those who others around you reject. It’s an entirely different way of approaching life.
Verses 49 - 50
It’s not about your work, but about His work
This is the "us four and no more" attitude of ministry - we have the right way of doing things and if you aren’t a part of our club then you just aren’t doing it right. This guy wasn’t evil; he was just not a part of the "in" group. We become threatened when someone outside has success in ministry. The disciples couldn’t cast out a demon but this "nobody" was able to do it - we should stop that!
If someone or a group is preaching the gospel, people are getting saved and grown up as disciples - then rejoice - don’t be jealous.
Verses 51 - 56
It’s not about drawing up sides but drawing souls
There was a lot of animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. This group of people were actually imported into Israel by Assyria - and they glommed on to a Jewish cult started by Jeroboam that used parts of Judaism. One of the main disagreements was over where God should be worshipped. They believed it was in Samaria, the Jews believed it was in the Temple in Jerusalem. That’s why they got upset when the found out Jesus was going there and yanked up the welcome mat.
So the guys in the inner circle are pretty angry about it and are ready to push the button and sends the nukes flying. It could be called the "scorched earth" philosophy of ministry - if they don’t welcome us then we’ll blast ’em. They think that somehow if someone doesn’t like you then God doesn’t like them.
Like Jonah, you don’t have to like the people you preach to, you only have to preach.
And - Don’t mistake whose role it is to judge or retaliate. Some manuscripts add "call down fire like Elijah did" to the statement of James and John. God told Elijah to judge the soldiers sent from the king to bring him to execution. But God also did not direct the disciples to do anything. "Deut 32:35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. NIV
Verses 57 - 62
It’s not about preparing yourself to serve Him but being ready to belong to Him
Three men - three different excuses for not following Jesus:
1. Not counting the real cost
2. Not making discipleship a priority
3. Not making a firm decision
The plow - Elisha was called to be a prophet right in the middle of plowing a field. He never looked back and in fact burned the oxen to keep them from being a temptation (1 Kings 19)
Jesus tells the first man that his home will no longer be on this earth. For a lot of people that’s a tough choice - especially if you have a lot invested here - in position, fame, wealth, possessions, physical beauty or athletic prowess. He wasn’t ready to go at all.
It’s likely that the second man did not have a dead father he had to go back and bury. This is most likely a euphemism - I’m going to wait until this important thing in my life is over, then I’ll follow you. What important thing keeps you from following Jesus? Is it your career, your hobby, your friends, your sins? This man wanted to go, but wasn’t ready yet.
For the third man - he wanted to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God. As Jesus said "you can’t serve two masters." Jesus wasn’t being harsh with the guy - you can’t even say "goodbye" as you head out the door. Who knows what else might have deterred him. Jesus wants total dedication, not half hearted commitment.
The Pitfalls of Power
Power leads to:
Self glory
Self Promotion
Exclusivity
Judgment
Discipleship leads to:
Self sacrifice
God promotion
Acceptance
Grace
How do we tell our power from God’s?
Where is the source of the power (are we doing it or God)?
Where is the focus of the power (benefits me or benefits others)?
What is the result of the power (glory to self or glory to God)?
Mistaking Reflection for Source
Our problem often is that we mistake the reflection of the Lord’s glory through our lives as the glow emanating from within us. It would be like the moon telling the sun that it shown of its own accord.
The key is this - who gets the honor? If you do something and people laud and praise you as if you did it and say "I’m so impressed by you" - then who is getting the glory? Now I’m not saying never receive a compliment. But on the other hand, if you do something and people say "I’m so impressed with God through this" now that’s a good use of power.
Mistaking Power with the Pecking Order
See, that’s what the disciples did. They wanted to know who was the greatest - or who at least was the next in line after Peter, James, and John.
Mistaking Family with Clique
Power not attributed to God leads us to segregating ourselves into the "in" group and the "out" group. There is no one more important or less important than you in God’s kingdom. There is no one more or less powerful than you. There may be people who are more obedient and who are mature enough to let God use them, but they are no more loved by God than you.
The Costs of Discipleship
These short accounts illustrate a very powerful idea that runs counter to what we find in the world. It’s that all power and authority reside in Jesus. We must give ourselves totally to Him, laying aside everything, and I mean everything, that stands in the way of that - and then let Him recreate you into a servant who lays his life down for others. It sounds much easier than it is to do - and the problem with power is that it runs counter to what Jesus wants from us, but it is the true nature of discipleship.
Don’t be like the men Jesus encountered: Know that giving your life to Jesus means giving it all. Don’t try to play both sides of the fence, and don’t waffle back and forth.
The cost is great - but so are the benefits. Eternal life, all joy, rewards for what God does through you, peace, healing from all the suffering you endure here, and just to be in the presence of the One who made it all. It IS worth it.
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