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“Power of Tyrant or Lord?”
Job 38:1-7 (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c; Mark 10:35-45; Hebrews 5:1-10
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 22, 2006
Each week along with the usual
spam, I receive many E-mails, letters, notes and information that I truly
appreciate. Many of them are from you and I thank you. But this week I received
something that I tried to do myself; watch the numerous television commercials,
even clicking away from them as we do, to communicate anything from them about
God’s unlimited power. A 5thgrade teacher in a Christian school asked
her class in some way to communicate ideas of what God is like in commercials.
As Art Linkletter used to say years ago, “Kids say the darndest things, ” here
are just a few responses:
“God is like DIAL SOAP...aren’t you glad you have
God; don’t you wish everybody did?”
“God is like a FORD...God’s got a better idea.”
“God is like drinking a COKE...God’s the real thing.”
“God is like HALLMARK CARDS...God cares to send the very best.”
“God is like ALLSTATE...you’re in good hands with God.”
Yet, it never ceases to amaze me
that God’s teachings, and human teachings seem to be in constant contrast with
one another. God’s teachings seem to be intangibles, unlimited in power; human
teachings are intangible, limited in power. When I read and try to absorb the
texts within myself, I often compare the truths of God (unlimited), with the
factual data of humans (limited). In what God truly is, compared to what God
does in/for us. Or in God’s justice, wisdom, patience and grace, with our
injustice, lack of common sense, impatience, and our ungraciousness. It seems,
for me, there is an unlimitedness in God’s power, and a limit to our power in
God’s world.
In our travels these last few
weeks in our scriptures, we have found what Jesus’ life is like; he has been
going from Galilee to Jerusalem and has been teaching of domestic issues, we’d
probably call them. He includes marriage, children, possessions, and this week
he hits a rather important one, leadership; the power structure of us as mortals
and that of the omnipotent God Almighty. Jesus has been confident, powerful, in
his being more egalitarian than patriarchal/hierarchical in nature towards these
issues. Yet, in both of today’s texts, the humility in Jesus’ power is evident
in Hebrews and in Mark. Contrastingly, theses texts are about leadership and
specifically, humbleness in leadership. There is a theme of the power of Jesus,
the great high priest like the traditional priest-king Melchizedek (‘ king of
righteousness’, Gen. 14:18, Heb.7:1-3 ), and the guidance and power of God the
Father. Strikingly, and amazingly, the ultimate leader and omnipotent power is
of God the Father.
The very first verse in Hebrews is
textbook in defining leadership and of a high priest’s actions. It defines who
Jesus is for us; someone, a mortal, like us, who is put in charge of things, of
‘things pertaining to God on their behalf ’ and to ‘offer gifts and sacrifices
for sins.’ Yet Jesus does not glorify himself as a master over a slave, as a
tyrant over his servant, but he takes any honor, as is appointed by the One, by
God the Father, who said, “ You are my Son, today I have begotten you. You are a
priest forever.....” Yes, and ultimately, Jesus submitted reverently and
learned obedience through his own suffering, the greatest sacrifice of all, his
life..
And the scene in Mark’s text is a
similar story written in a previous Gospel, Matthew, concerning a request of
Jesus. In Matthew ( Matt. 20:20-28) ‘the mother of the sons of Zebedee’ kneels
before Jesus asking for a favor from him, rather than her sons, James and John,
as they do in Mark. James and John may have, as leaders (the sons of thunder,
Mark 3:17 ), believing in Christ and Christ’ power, wanted Jesus to rid
Jerusalem of the Roman powers and then they could have their own ‘reign in
glory.’ Perhaps because of their mother’s respect for her sons she came to
Jesus; but in these texts, there is a respect and honor that Jesus, as the
humble, high priest, has for his Father too. Instead of overhearing of the
disciple’s greatness, Jesus tells them that it is not his decision who will sit
at the right and left of God the Father in glory. This decision is of the
Father, for his Son, and for the many.
The Father, Christ’s Father as God
the Father, is the power behind who sits where in God’s glorious Kingdom; God
chooses those who are of special honor. And most importantly, in God’s unlimited
and powerful reign, and in Christ Jesus’ limited power and humbleness, the
disciples learn that among them, including James and John, their greatness is
entirely in their service, and not anything else. Jesus can be direct, because
he has been there as their earthly leader; Jesus is not a tyrant king waving to
the crowd from above, or placing himself before others in line, or sending other
servants to do his work, or asking others to feed his flocks.
No, Jesus fed the crowds of 5,000
with a few fish, and washed their feet upon visiting him; he walked among those
who were ill, oppressed, and dying, and he sat with the women and children. He
worked in the trenches healing many who came to him, and then went to rest in
the wilderness where it was quiet and he could pray to God for more strength.
Jesus was a humble and obedient leader; he was successful and limited in his
kind of power as a human being, sensitive, compassionate, giving. Yet
criticized, wounded, and eventually physically taken to his death. This is what
Jesus was like, and Jesus was obedient to his Father.
God’s absolute and omnipotent
power is God’s divine not ours; we are limited in our power and that was Jesus’
nature, that’s our human nature. Our destiny is in God’s hands, and God’s
actions in us are according to the love of Christ Jesus and the power of the
Holy Spirit in us. This is the good news of the gospel for us this day. In all
we are and care to be, in our willingness to want to know what God is like, we
have a new life in Christ every day in knowing that our praise, our prayers,
cries, tears, notions and wonders are God’s activity within us. God’s unlimited
power within us is enough for our service to and leadership of others. In God’s
realm on earth and in heaven, we are stewards of the One omnipotent and powerful
God. Like the 5th graders, who asked what God is like in unlimited
power?
“God is like the U.S. POST
OFFICE...neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor ice will keep God from God’s
intended and appointed destination.” AMEN.
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