Nearly every human being on the planet has at one time or another been faced with the temptation to misuse or abuse power. We tend to gravitate toward amassing power because we understand that it brings favor, prestige, and money. And we never seem to have enough of these things. Power also allows us to avoid negotiating, compromising, or sacrificing. It let’s us have our own way.
Jesus always resisted and subverted worldly power. During his forty-day temptation, Satan offered him this type of power. Jesus recognized the temptation for what it was and understood that if he agreed to Satan’s terms, he would cease serving his Father and forsake his mission.
When he made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, what we refer to as Palm Sunday, he mocked the preconceived notions of power by riding on a donkey, rather than a stallion. No one would ever ride a donkey into battle and likewise, no one would ever return to the city after a successful battle on such a lowly animal. This surely disappointed many of his followers who hoped for and expected a Messiah who would free them from Roman oppression. The only way they could imagine that was through the use of physical force. As in with horses, chariots, and violence. Jesus rarely follows our scripts.
In David Fitch’s new book, Reckoning with Power, he splices out what he believes are the two types of power:
There is worldly power, which is exerted over persons, and there is godly power, which works relationally with and among persons. Worldly power is coercive. A person or organization takes control of things with worldly power. Worldly power is enforced. It is prone to abuse. God’s power, on the other hand, is never coercive.
What we witness and personally experience on a daily basis tends to be an expression of worldly power. The terrorists who cowardly murdered 137 concert-goers in Moscow. President A leverages his greater power to “convince” President B to stop abusing his lesser power. The Southern Baptist leaders who abused their power by covering up the hundreds of sexual assaults that were committed by pastors in their denomination. The professional football player who uses his physical power to smack down his girlfriend. And on and on.
Abusing power in these ways is typically connected to fear and greed. Few of us want to give-up our proverbial piece of the pie, especially if we believe that we earned or deserve it. If we sense that someone is angling to get our portion, we will use whatever power we have to protect it. The pie could be privilege, reputation, income, or status. The SBC leaders seemingly valued all of those things over and above the lives of those who were harmed. Pride can also incite abuse of power. Men who hit their intimate partners often do so because they feel disrespected.
While it’s easy to recognize the more flagrant abuses of power, we all have to choose which type of power we employ. Parents can use worldly power to shame and control their children. Employers can rely on worldly power to extract more hours from their workers. The 15 year-old teenager can misuse his power over his younger siblings. I can misuse this space if I’m not walking in self-awareness and have an ax to grind.
If, as Fitch suggests, “worldly power is coercive,” that means one party is exerting control over another party. (Or over a group or even a country.) When one person is exerting control, it creates hierarchies and results in the loss of freedom. While this type of power is seductive and increasingly sought after (see Washington, DC), it is antithetical to the Gospel.
In fact,
“It is when Christians use the coercive power of the world to do the unlimited work of God in the name of God that they are unequivocally on the wrong side of power.” (Fitch, p 12)
Ascribing any form of abuse, harm, deceit, etc. to God or doing such things while in the service of God (for example, those who are pastors or priests) has catastrophic results—including long-term trauma, mental health issues, loss of faith, and credibility issues for the church and Christian organizations.
If we hope to resist worldly power, we have to be willing to suffer. That might mean losing a job, or our status, or being misunderstood, or having less of something we need. By resisting this lesser power, we gain access to godly power that moves us toward healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, and a greater capacity to love.
When Jesus submitted to the cross—rather than using his power to avoid it—he went straight into, and through suffering, which then released kingdom power over sin and death for all of us. Godly power costs more because it requires restraint, humility, and sacrifice. But in the end, it always leads to life.
Wishing everyone a rich and joyful Easter.
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I highly recommend David Fitch’s book.
Photo by Wikilmages/Pixabay
Thanks for this powerful reminder, Dorothy. Indeed, Easter turns everything inside-out and upside-down, including power. Happy Easter!
I've never fully understood the power-grabbing by modern American Evangelicals (I hesitate to count myself among them any more). Have they forgotten the life and teachings of Jesus? Did 'turn the other cheek' expire at some point in history and I missed the memo?