March 10 - Power and Authority

Matthew 20:17-28

Today we read about the mother of Zebedee’s sons (James and John) asking Jesus to grant that they sit at his right hand and left hand in his kingdom.

References to the right hand in the bible were often associated with power and authority. In Exodus 15:6 we read “Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.” I did not find much information on the left hand, but it seems to be a safe assumption that the left hand was second in power and authority to the right.

The desire for power and authority has been with us for a long time. We see it in governments, the workplace, families, and our own lives. Certainly there is a need for the order and leadership that comes from properly exercised power and authority, but far too often power and authority are sought for selfish purposes and are abused.

It is interesting to note that Matthew places the story about the mother of Zebedee’s sons immediately after Jesus predicts his suffering, death and resurrection and refers to himself as the “Son of Man”. Two weeks ago I learned about the term “son of man” as I was writing my blog. If you recall, this term goes back to Daniel 7:13-14: 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

After establishing who he was Jesus uses the request from the mother of Zebedee’s sons to make a radical point about power and authority. He says that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” Then he backs this up by citing his own life (and death) as an example. These are certainly not the words that we would expect to hear from the “son of man”, and yet that is the character of Jesus.

As we think about this reading from Matthew, are we really much different than the mother of Zebedee’s sons? Are we different than the disciples who were “indignant” when they heard about her request? Do we have servant hearts and do we live our lives like Jesus desires?

Lord, help us to better understand what it is to be “great”. Help us to know what it takes to be “first”. You demonstrated servant leadership as the “son of man”. Help us to demonstrate servant leadership as your disciples. Amen

Jesus Knew...

Luke 9:43-45


While today’s reading is only a few verses I found two significant things about Jesus in these words.

First, Jesus knew who he was. In verse 44 Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. My study bible notes say that this term was used 81 times in the Gospels (I know, that seems like a lot!) and never by anyone other than Jesus. Like so many things that Jesus said, this ties back to the Old Testament and was probably a familiar term to Jewish audiences. Daniel 7:13-14 states the following: 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed”.

Second, Jesus knew what his purpose was. Verse 44 is the second mention of his coming death in the book of Luke. The first is found in Luke 9:22 and provides a more detailed description of Jesus’ purpose: 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Similar passages can be found in other Gospel writings.

It is incredible to think about the fact that Jesus knew exactly who he was, that he was one with “authority, glory, and sovereign power” and yet he was willing to “be delivered into the hands of men and suffer many things”.

In Luke 9:23, the verse immediately following his prophecy of his own death and resurrection, Jesus says “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”. That does not seem like much to ask when you consider who Jesus was (and is) and what he did for us.

Dear Jesus, thank you for who you are and what you did for us on the cross. Thank you for your obedience and love for the Father and help us to “take up our cross” today and by the power of the Holy Spirit show that same obedience and love. Amen.

Not Just the Son of God

Today’s reading is John 1:35-51. Jesus is gathering 12 men to be his disciples. Andrew and Simon were the first to be called. Jesus then called Nathanael and Phillip.


Jesus gave Simon the Aramaic name Cephas. The Greek name is Peter, which means “rock”.

Peter was anything but a rock. He babbled at Jesus’ transfiguration. He cut off a soldier’s ear. Perhaps worst of all, he disowned Jesus just prior to his crucifixion.



Jesus Revealed as God at the Transfiguration

It wasn’t until Jesus died that Peter understood what being a disciple meant. It was only then that he began to live up to his name. Peter became solid as a rock.

 

Jesus was known by many names and phrases. He was Son of God, Son of Man, King of Israel, Messiah, Teacher, Beginning and the End, Root of David, Light of the World,  the Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Word become Flesh, Good Shepherd, and many, many more.

 

Let’s look at a few of them.

 

Jesus was a teacher. He taught his disciples many things and also taught the crowds that followed him.

 

Descended from King David, Jesus had a right to be called the Root of David.

 

Many at the time liked the name Son of God, a term not unfamiliar to them, or to mankind. Since early civilization, many kings claimed to be the son of some god. Theoretically, at least, potential rivals would not wage war against the son of a god, lest the god destroy the attacker.

 

As the Lamb of God, many Israelites of the time knew that Jesus would be their sacrificial saviour, their Messiah. Unfortunately, when he was called King of Israel, many thought that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom and restore Israel to greatness.  Jesus is King of the Jews, but, he did not, nor will he ever, rule an earthly kingdom. As Jesus told the Roman official Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

 

Peter had trouble living up to his name. Unlike Peter, Jesus lived up to all of his many names. He was all this and more.

 

Jesus is not just the Son of God; He is God!