Jesus on Power
About this series
Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.
To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him.
It’s a lifestyle:
That requires obedience to him above all else.
That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.
That witnesses to the world of his greatness.
The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day.
About this talk
Matthew 20:20-28
While there are some remarkable exceptions, there’s something in the human condition that wants to be served, appreciated, recognised. Having just said to his disciples that he would be “delivered over,” “condemn[ed] to death,” “mocked and flogged and crucified”, James and John come to Jesus with their mother who asks an audacious and ill-thought-out question because she wants them to be served, appreciated and recognised: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
In one sense, they could be praised for the faith they have in him - they clearly believe that Jesus was going to be a king of some sort. In their thinking presumably that would be a renewed kingdom of Israel, based in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 1:6). But they’ve completely misunderstood the nature of Jesus the king and of the kingdom Jesus is inaugurating. His reply - “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” - is met with more confidence, “Yes we can,” which simply serves to underline their lack of understanding.
Not surprisingly, the other disciples are indignant with James and John, but that only betrays the fact that they were not so dissimilar. Jesus uses this as the perfect teaching opportunity: “You’ve seen how the Gentile rulers and high officials make the most of their position; well, I do it differently. I measure greatness through service; things are reversed in this kingdom. And you know that has to be the way, because that’s how I, the king in this kingdom, live and die.”
In Jesus’ day:
Staus, power and a good reputation were of great importance to the religious elites of Jesus’ day. It wasn’t only the rulers of the Gentiles and their high officials who loved to exercise their positions of influence for selfish reasons; the Jewish leaders were guilty of the same and Jesus had strong words for them too.
In the background were many Old Testament instances of power being misused and abused. One might think of David using his position to seduce Bathsheeba, Solomon breaking God’s command and gaining 700 wives and 300 concubines or the many kings of Israel and Judah who led the people astray, using their power for their own shortsighted benefit.
In our day:
‘Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ It remains as difficult today as it ever has to use power with humility, to use position and influence for the benefit of others. Whether it’s politicians, business leaders, church leaders or any other person of influence, the challenge to serve rather than be served continues. Power may be a dangerous thing, but Jesus shows a way of using it selflessly, setting the pattern for us, as is clear from his words in Matthew 20.
To a world who sees everyone, including the church, being out to get something for their own benefit, our challenge is to use our wealth, possessions, time and talents for the benefit of others. If we could practise what Peter instructs - to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others” - it would have an immense impact on the people around us and demonstrate that the counter-cultural life in God’s kingdom is one of using our advantages to benefit others and where greatness is redefined as servanthood.
Audio only
