John 10:17-21 contains the closing stanza of Jesus’ shepherd parable and the response to it by the religious elite.
Having earlier described himself as the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for the sheep, Jesus said he does so as an expression of his power, a translation of a Greek word used in the original text which means having authority to act. He subtly acknowledged his awareness of the Jewish leaders’ plan to kill him that continued percolating in the background, and he declared that when the time finally came, his life would not be taken in weakness but freely given as an exercise of his authority. He said the use of his power in this way was commanded by and pleasing to the Heavenly Father.
That completely baffled the Pharisees. It was simply unheard of that someone would use their power to serve others. In their experience, leaders gained and exercised power over others for their own benefit. Jesus had expressed a concept so foreign to them that they began to debate among themselves whether he was demon-possessed and insane.
But some of them had trouble accepting that explanation because they’d just witnessed a display of that kind of authority when Jesus healed the blind man on the previous sabbath. He had used his power to bless the man with sight and then didn’t even stick around to get the credit. He had nothing to gain and much to potentially lose by breaking sabbath restrictions to minister to him. But he did it anyway.
And that’s the very definition of authority in God’s dictionary – humbly employing every right, advantage, position, gifting, influence, mastery, skill, insight, prestige, sway, strength, prerogative, license, clout, and esteem we possess in the service of others no matter the cost. As his children, we have been given the privilege and responsibility of modeling a different way to be powerful.
But it turns out that’s easier said than done. We often appear to be just as enamored with the idea of hierarchical positions of power as anyone else. That’s why in Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus responded to the request of two of his disciples that they be given positions of power in his kingdom saying:
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles…exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
He taught us by his words and his life that the righteous way of expressing power is not from a position above others but from beneath them, lifting them up instead of pressing them down, not an authority over but an authority under.
And our world is in desperate need of that example right now. Our institutions – commercial, political, social, educational, judicial, relational – are all engaged in a fierce wrestling match over the questions of who should have power and how it should be used.
My friends in the faith, let’s rise to the challenge, or should I say bend beneath it. Instead of joining the world in striving to get to the top, let’s race each other to the bottom. Let’s put the power of our God on display by shouldering the weight of the burdens that don’t belong to us but are ours to bear as we serve others in his mighty name.