The Lure of Power— and Jesus’ Shocking Alternative Matthew 20:25-28

Matthew 20:20-28 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

Matthew 20:20-28 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them

Matthew 20:20-28 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

How to Change the World? Gather elite people Acc. to James Davidson Hunter Gather elite people who are close to the power, who are part of large networks and who have abundant resources to press for a cause.

America: A Christian nation? We Christians have a mission to America, but we will never “take America back” and return to some mythical Christian era. Perhaps there was a time when a higher percentage of Americans were believers, or when Christianity had a deeper cultural influence. But there was never a time when America acted as a fully Christian nation, for nations of this earth cannot do so. Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University and the author of several books,

State Churches Roman Empire—Roman Catholic Byzantine Empire—Eastern Orthodox Scotland—Church of Scotland (Reformed) Germany—Lutheran England—Church of England (Anglican) The Pilgrims and other religious minorities came to America seeking religious freedom, to get away from official state religions. What happens when the state identifies with one religion—some form of Islam, some form of Christianity, etc?

Wouldn’t a “Christian nation” be a good thing? As we have seen, this has happened many times in history. How did that turn out? Did it bring honor to Christ? If a group of American Christians did succeed in taking over the government and legislating to impose “biblical” law on the country (over the objection of non-Christians and Christians who had different beliefs), they would be doing so in clear disobedience of Jesus’ teaching. How Christian would that be?

Jesus’ strategy is shockingly different.

How Does the Kingdom Come? He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Matthew 13:33 NIV

Mark 3:30-32 NIV “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

“The meek shall inherit the earth “The meek shall inherit the earth.” --Jesus, in announcing the kingdom of God. “The future belongs to the strong.” --An American president in announcing military action in the Mediterranean

How to Change the World? Gather elite people Acc. to James Davidson Hunter Gather elite people who are close to the power, who are part of large networks and who have abundant resources to press for a cause.

How to Change the World? Acc. to John Nugent The way of Jesus is the exact opposite: it is to gather the unlikely who are not part of the systems of power and who are in small networks and who have few resources but who embody the gospel.

What can we do? 1. Don’t support-with your words, your actions, your votes, or your money—those who seek through the political process to give Christians (or any other religious group) privileges that others don’t receive. 2. Do support those who champion policies that promote kindness, generosity, justice, mercy, for all. 3. Don’t rent space in your head to those voices—TV, radio, websites, etc.—who promote the idea that Christians should control the government through top-down control. 4. DO commit your life to serving others from a position of weakness (non-power), for that, Jesus says, is what leads to greatness in the kingdom of God.

Table Sharing Which way of exercising influence comes more naturally to you—“lording it over” or “mustard seed/servanthood”?  Why? What do you think it does to the public witness of the church when Christians try to use government or other levers of power to impose their ideals on non-Christians?  Is there a way to be salt and light in public life without trying to exercise “power over”?