Standing with a group of pastors, chatting and fellowshiping and shooting the (sacred) bull–smiley-face goes here–one of them came out with something like:
“I told him I’m the pastor of the church, that God sent me here as the overseer, and if he doesn’t like it, he can find another church.”
That brought nods of approval, even from a couple who knew they would never have the gumption to say such a thing. Even if they feel it.
But that pastor is wrong.
Dead wrong.
If anyone on earth had the right to pull rank on other people, it was our Lord Himself.
Yet, He never did.
Now, God the Father didn’t seem to mind doing it. The Old Testament is rife with commands from the Almighty interspersed with reminders that “I am the Lord!” The idea being that “I have a right to say this, I have the authority to back it up, and you disobey at your own peril.”
Take the fascinating 19th chapter of Leviticus, the passage which supplies the Lord’s favorite “second greatest commandment” about loving your neighbor as yourself. That chapter, 37 verses long, contains numerous commands concerning treatment of the poor and vulnerable. Among them, 16 times we find God saying “I am the Lord.”
But the Lord Jesus did not pull rank on people.
When the religious big-shots grew rebellious over His abuse of the Sabbath as they saw it, Jesus reasoned with them: “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? to save a life? or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9) Make them think.
When a delegation came from John the Baptist looking for confirmation from Jesus that He really was “The Expected One,” Jesus could have pulled out His credentials, shown them His badge and papers, and done a miracle or two. Instead, He said, “Go tell John what I’m doing here. The blind are seeing, the lame are walking, and the dead are being raised. Tell him that.” (Luke 7:22). Show them the evidence.
When His host neglected to welcome Him in even the most basic of ways, Jesus did not pitch a temper tantrum or call down fire from Heaven. He pointed out the loving behavior of someone who got it right. “You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them dry with her hair. You gave me no kiss of greeting, but this woman has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she anointed it with costly perfume.” (Luke 7:44ff.) Point to someone who gets it right.
We can do this all day.
When they accused Him of working in the power of the devil himself, Jesus replied, “Then the devil is self-destructing, and you surely don’t want to interfere with that.” (My paraphrase) (Luke 11:18).
When the Pharisee grew offended because the Lord did not wash before eating, Jesus used it as an occasion to teach about hypocrisy (Luke 11:37ff.).
When they criticized the way Jesus hung out with the fallen, He told them parables of a lost lamb, a lost coin, and a lost son (Luke 15).
Our Lord controlled His reactions and turned criticism into opportunities for teaching and instruction.
He turned opposition and hostility into lessons for the onlookers about His purpose. (Do not miss this. In most cases, the Lord was not trying to convert the mean-spirited critic, but to win the spectators by His wisdom and spirit.)
When the religious authorities became angrier than ever, Jesus wept over the city (Luke 19:41).
He did not pull rank.
“I am among you as one who serves,” He said. And He served them.
Pastor, no one minds submitting themselves to one who dedicates his life to serving them.
“We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
The moment you have to play the authority card, preacher, you have lost any authority you had.
To be like Jesus is to emulate the Good Shepherd. And the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
Excellent! Glad I read it. My first impression upon reading the intro was that I would not agree with you, but I TOTALLY agree! Bless you!
Jesus always pointed to the Father, and did His Father’s business. When challenged to not heal on the Sabbath, Jesus healed anyway:
Luke 6:10-11 (KJV) 10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
When asked to validate His authority, Jesus healed people all day before replying – showing Who He was:
Luke 7:21 (KJV) 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
When accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus corrected them and said that He used the power of God:
Luke 11:19-20 (KJV) 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
And in Matthew 23 Jesus pronounced judgments on the Scribes and Pharisees, calling sin out for what it was (see Matthew 23:13-15, 23-29), publicly and clearly putting them in their place. He never took personal offense but made sure that God was glorified – always.
excellent article and I’ll even take it a step farther and suggest that Jesus even criticized such behavior. In Matthew 20 Jesus states, “25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 ‘It is not this way among you, 22but whoever *wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever *wishes to be first among you shall be your slave ; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His nlife a ransom for many.'” and in the corresponding verses in Mark 10 he states, “42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.
43 ‘But it is not this way among you, 40but whoever *wishes to become great among you shall be your servant ; 44 and whoever *wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 “For even the Son of Man 41did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His plife a ransom for many.'”
Not only does Jesus condemn this behavior as, “whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,” but this is also the behavior of GENTILE rulers (and actually, though not SPECIFICALLY said, it is the behavior of the Pharisees as well).