The question that currently haunts me is: "How do we
handle power in our everyday lives, in politics, and in our
occupations/positions? Is it right to
assume mantles of power and how do we go about living like Jesus who gave up
all power? What is the role of the
church in handling power, critiquing power, and being involved with the
nations?"
Perhaps we should back up a beat. What is power? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, two
of the basic definitions of power are:
(1) the "ability to act or produce an effect" or (2) "possession of control, authority,
or influence over others." We are
going to discuss mainly the second definition, with the understanding that the
point of control/authority/influence is to get people to do something, i.e.
produce an effect.
If power is authority, influence, or control over others, is there a way to avoid
"power?" We are continually
influenced, even in subtle ways, by other people, things, circumstances, and authorities that are all around us all
the time. Sometimes, the power exerted
over us we cannot even recognize. Other
times we can. For example, consider a
person and alcohol. The person is either
influenced/controlled by the alcohol (alcohol has the power) or controls
themselves and the alcohol by monitoring how much they drink (person has the
power). Or consider a friendship . Many times both people influence and have
authority in the other person lives; normally both people then possess power in
that relationship. Unhealthy
relationships are those where one person has all the power and dominates the
other. The key is a proper balance of
power, not a domination or control "over" but an "invitation
to."
I think this helps as we look at how Jesus uses and holds
power. We will look at a traditional Anabaptist
passage, John 13:1-17. Jesus, being the
Son of God, "knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,
and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took
off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began
to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied
around him." Jesus did not give up
his power in that moment - Jesus held all of the power (i.e. authority over,
influence over his disciples and the world, all control, for all things were
given into his hands).
Yet Jesus does not exercise that power in order to
dominate, in order to control - in fact Jesus does not look to force
submission in any way. Instead, he
models the use of power by becoming a servant and washing other people's
feet. The power that Jesus has is shared
with his disciples and invites them to respond . Peter in fact, responds rashly out of his own
sense of power and authority, seeking to dominate Jesus: "You will never
wash my feet." Peter, seeing in Jesus
all authority, attempts to force Jesus to assume the mantle of authority - not
the man who serves but the man who is served.
Jesus then, deflecting this offer of power to him, invites a
response, not seeking to dominate, but to show and lead the way ahead:
"Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." Jesus uses power in order to serve, and seeks
to influence others to do the same. In
this way, Jesus transforms the world.
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