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Several years ago I remember reading an article in the sports section of the paper about a basketball super star who was refusing to sign a new contract for something like $112 million for six years. He said he would be embarrassed to take such little money as compensation for all the talent he possessed and for what he could bring to the team. But, he insisted, it was not about the money. And my response, as I was sitting there at the breakfast table choking both on his words and my cereal was, "Of course it’s about the money! But, of course, it was not. It’s never really about money. It’s about power. Money is power, yes. Those who have quite a bit of money wield quite a bit of power in this world. The more money a candidate raises, the more power he has because more advertising money means you are more likely to get elected. And once in office, you have even more power. And the game goes on. Money buys power and money is a symbol of power. But it’s never about the money. It is always about power. Always. That is true not only in politics or on the playing field, but also – and I know you are going to find this difficult to believe, but also in church. Church fights are always about power. Always. Oh, those who are involved in the fight – they will call it a disagreement – will insist it is all about theology, about orthodoxy, about right practice, about the truth. But it isn’t. It’s about power. It has always been. Money is power in the church, of course. If we do not like what the church is doing, we can withhold our money. If we like what it is doing, we may be willing to give more money. Today’s Gospel is a classic example of a blatant push for power. James and John mince no words. They come up to Jesus and demand that he do for them whatever they ask, and in those exact words. "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And what did they want from Jesus? Power; that’s all; power. They wanted the two positions of power whenever Jesus came into his kingdom. Did James and John care that they were tramping over the rest of the Twelve? Did they care that Jesus may already have decided whom he wanted in those positions? Of course not! They wanted power and they were not going to let friendship or proper etiquette or anything else get in their way. What is even more interesting is that in Matthew’s account of this incident, it is not James and John who approach Jesus with this request, it is their mother. Now it is true that mothers always want the best for their children. Fathers do, too, of course. Sometimes, perhaps like the mother of James and John, we parents will do whatever it takes to make sure our children succeed in this life. Success, of course, means having money, which, of course, means having power, or so we believe. We will sacrifice to send our children to the best schools and make sure they are involved in all the extra-curricula activity that will fill their resumes. We will drive them to the end of the kingdom, if that is where we have to take them, so that they can get into the right college, so that they can get the right degree, so that they can get the best job, so that they can be a success, which means to make lots of money and become powerful. Of course, like the mother of James and John, we would never admit to those ambitions. What we say is that we simply want our kids to be happy. Sure! But like the basketball player who wants more money, like parents who want the best for their children, like James and John themselves, they and we really do not know what we are asking when we ask for power even if we will not admit that it is power we seek.
Now, do not get me wrong. Power in and of itself is not bad. Having power is not wrong. Yes, it is true that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. But power does not have to corrupt and power does not have to be used in a selfish or immoral or illegal or unethical manner. Power, when used correctly, is good. My old history professor once said that the best form of government was to have a benevolent dictator because he was all-powerful and because he would use his power to take care of and serve his people. He was probably right even if there never has been such a powerful person, power corrupting as it does. Notice, also, that Jesus does not say that James and John are in the wrong for asking for positions of power. Nor does he say that to their mother in Matthew’s account. He does not take them to task, say that they are being selfish, or anything of that sort. Rather what Jesus does say is that none of them really know what they are asking for. They simply do not understand what it means to be in power, to have power. The more power we have, the more responsibilities come our way. You see, power does not mean authority. Power means service. That is what James and John did not understand. That is what their mother did not understand nor the other apostles who got bent out of shape because of James’ and John’s request. That is what the basketball player failed to realize. That is what any politician or church person can easily forget when placed in a position of power. If we take today’s Gospel message seriously, there is only one reason why we should want to become powerful and that is to serve others. As far as the Gospel is concerned, as far as Jesus is concerned, we are to seek power not so that people will serve us. Rather, we are to seek power so that we can better serve those over whom we have authority. The star basketball player is there to help make his teammates better. They are not there to help him make more money and become more powerful. The politician is elected to serve the people and not to be served by them. The priest, the bishop, the person in the pew is given whatever power and authority he or she has in order to serve. It is interesting to note that the Gospel of Luke places this discussion of what power and authority mean in the context of the Last Supper. Jesus uses no names. Neither James and John nor their mother is the scapegoat for the jealousy of the rest of the Twelve who, had they been more ambitious or a little braver, would have been first in line to ask Jesus for the same favor. Rather Jesus simply tells them, as he did in today’s Gospel, that having power means having to drink from the same cup he would have to drink. At that moment, whether at the Last Supper or in today’s Gospel setting, they did not understand what he meant. But after the Supper was over, after his crucifixion and death they most certainly did. What Jesus did say to them in Luke’s Gospel and what was eventually made clear by his words in today’s Gospel was a very simple statement of what power means. "I am among you as one who serves," Jesus said. Or, as Jesus says even more forcefully in today’s Gospel, "whoever wished to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes t be first among you must be slave of all." Power equals service, no more and no less. The truly most powerful leaders are those who best serve the people over whom they have that power and authority. The most powerful CEOs and Bishops and Rectors and Senior Wardens and teachers and managers, and parents and – well, the list is endless, are the best servants. They are also the best CEOs and Bishops and Rectors and teachers and parents. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us today that the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. In fact, it is a two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. So is power. It, too, is a two-edged sword, cutting both ways. It can be used selfishly for our own benefit at the expense of others. Or it can be used selflessly for the good of others and thus for our own good. The choice is ours: to serve or to be served. Which will it be? |
