The Role of Authority
Introduction
1. Review. The mother of James and John expressed her desire for her sons to have positions of honor at the right hand and left hand of Jesus. Clearly, the other disciples felt that James and John wanted these positions, and they became indignant. It was at this point that Jesus spoke about power and authority. Building on
this, our lesson today will be about “The Role of Authority.”
2. Questions. Whenever people associate, questions of authority arise. We will ask these same questions of the household of faith. Should there be rank, organization, authority, and power exercised in the body of Christ? Or, should all people be equal and autonomous? We are equal at the foot of the cross. Are we equal in our working relationships?
3. Text. Once again, we will read our text. This time we will focus our attention on verse 25. This verse raises the issue of authority. Although it does not fully treat the subject, it gives us the springboard to bring the issue into focus. Another passage of Scripture, Exodus 18:13-26, will be vital for this lesson. We will read this passage later.
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him.
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left.”
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.
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 so among you, but 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 life a ransom for many.” (NAS)
4. Preview. We will begin with the concern of Jesus and talk about the abuse of authority. Then, we will discuss the necessity of authority, the right use of authority, and end with a discussion of what we should do
The Abuse of Authority
1. Warning. Jesus warns the disciples against the abuse of power. He used the Gentiles and their “great men,” or leaders, as an example. Jesus said “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over [katakurieuousin] them, and their great men exercise authority [katexousiazousin, play the tyrant] over them” (verse 25).
Jesus was not giving a full treatment of authority in this verse. Other Scriptures let us know there is a proper use of power in leadership, but power as an end in itself is an abuse. This is what Jesus strikes down. He went on to say (v. 26), “It is not so among you.” He was speaking against power as the sine qua non (without which not) of leadership. When power is the primary objective, it can soon turn to tyranny.
Tead states,
“The desire for enhancement of the essential ego of every individual is one of his central driving motives– one which colors and influences all behavior, and one which is, of course, natural and essential. . . . But this love of self-enhancement can easily get out of hand; and if the leadership situation becomes, as it well may, the sole channel for the release of the will to power, the dangers of excess are real” (215).
2. The Power Game. Michael Korda, expresses a popular philosophy (4). According to him,
“All of life is a game of power. The object of the game is simple enough: to know what you want and get it. The moves of the game, by contrast, are infinite and complex, although they usually involve the manipulation of people and situations to your advantage. As for the rules, these are only discovered by playing the game to the end.”
Korda continues with this comment, “Some people play the game for money, some for security or fame, others for sex, most for some combination of these objectives. The master players . . . seek power itself, knowing that power can be used to obtain money, sex, security or fame. None of these alone constitutes power; but power can produce them all” (4).
Christian leaders should not be engaged in the power game. Although they do exercise authority and have to deal with relationships involving power, they should not make power itself their objective. When they do, they seriously endanger their cause.
3. Self-Defeating. The abuse of power is self-defeating. In Ecclesiastes 8:9 Solomon (NIV) says, “There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.” Many leaders have suffered because they have put power above service. In so doing they have damaged their own leadership and cause.
Apparently, the son of Solomon, Rehoboam, did not pay attention to his father. He sought advice on how to reign (II Chron. 10:6-19). The old men advised kindness (verse 7). The young men advised Rehoboam to tell the people, “My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins!” (verse 10). Rehoboam should have remembered the words of his father and followed the advice of the old men. Instead he accepted the counsel of the young men. Verse 19 tells us the result, “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.”
I read these words in Bits and Pieces, May edition, “Caution to newly-appointed executives– remember what the mama whale told the baby whale: ‘When you get to the top and start letting off steam, that’s the time you’re most apt to be harpooned!’” This sounds like good advice.
4. Avoid Tyranny. We must avoid tyranny. As Christian leaders, we must avoid lording it over people and playing the tyrant. While authority must be exercised, it must not be done with power as an end in itself. Paradoxically, such greatness is really a weakness.
The Necessity of Authority
- Association. Jesus spoke against the abuse of authority, but He did not deny that authority is a part of human association. Authority, submission, and organization are all facts of existence and group life. We cannot live and work together without having leaders and followers. When we have leaders and followers, authority is involved.
- Biblical Examples. The Bible fully recognizes and approves authority in human relations. We note the following examples:
- Government & Citizen. We are told in Romans 13:1, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Compare I Peter 2:13-15.
- Master & Servant. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (6:5-6).
- Parents & Children. Concerning children, we read, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). Again, Paul brings balance by stating, “And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
- Pastor & Church. Peter’s comments with regard to the shepherd and the flock suggest the right exercise of authority but also echo the words of Jesus against tyranny. He gives this exhortation (I Peter 5:2-4):
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. - Each Other. Paul wrote to the Ephesians “… and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (5:21). By exhorting us to be “subject,” he also acknowledges that there is authority. Peter makes a similar comment, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5).
The Biblical evidence about authority is tempered with comments about love, tenderness, and the dangers of excess. As Peter knew, authority has its limits. When he was faced with the command not to witness, he declared, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Nevertheless, the Biblical data strongly supports the proper role, use, and submission to authority.
- Organization. When people associate and decide to do things together, management and organization become key factors. Organization, like authority, is
supported in the Bible. One of the key stories is Exodus 18:13-26:
13 And it came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening.
14 Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?”
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16 When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17 And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.
18 You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19 Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,
20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk, and the work they are to do.
21 Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
22 And let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
23 If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
26 And they judged the people at all times; the difficult dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would judge. (NAS)
This story touches on a whole series of management topics. Without attempting, at this time, to give much detail, let us just observe the topics.- Lead. Moses was to lead in a new way (verse 19). He was to spend more time with God and bring their disputes to Him. This would give him more rest and clearer visions.
- Time Management. Moses needed to manage his time better (verse 18). The load was too heavy, and he would wear out. Moreover, he did not have time for fellowship with God.
- Delegation. Moses was to teach others the statutes of the laws and “make known” to them the way in which they were to walk (verses 20-21). Moreover, Moses was to select able men to place them over others.
- Structure. As verse 21 suggests, Moses was to have leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. This suggests that the leaders of tens would report to the leaders of fifties, and the leaders of fifties, to the leaders of hundreds, and so on. In other words a definite structure was advised.
- Job Description. In verses 20 and 22 a job description was given. Moses was to teach them “the work they are to do,” and these leaders were to judge and help “bear the burden.” This burden was very great and could only be handled as it was divided among the leaders.
- Standard of Performance. We can assume, also, that in teaching the leaders the work that they were to do, Moses would set some standards (verse 20). He would share with them what a good judge does.
- Responsibility. The leaders would be given responsibility. Verse 26 tells us, “Every minor dispute they themselves would judge.” The leaders of fifties no doubt had more responsibility than the leaders of tens.
- Qualifications. Verse 21 gives us the qualifications for the leaders. They were to fear God, be men of truth, and men who hate dishonest gain.
- Training. Moses was to teach and train the leaders (verse 20). They did not have to learn this new job on their own.
- Service. Although the story does not speak in terms of service, it is clear that these people would be better served through good management. Moses would be a better leader, and the people would have more ready access to help.
The Right Use of Authority
- Service. Authority is properly used when it focuses on service rendered to people. We organize in order to serve others, not to rule over them. We might say instead, “management is made for man and not man for management” when compared to Mark 2:27. In our text Christ was speaking to men who wanted positions of honor and power. Let them desire, first of all, to serve. Then, if they rise to authority, they will use the authority correctly.
- Basis. Ultimately, the power of individual leaders and organizations rests on service. Although power can be maintained in nations by military might, the stronger basis for authority is service. Even authority maintained by armies will crumble if it is too oppressive. Thus, the thoughts of the Christian leader ought always to turn to what serves the best interests of the people he leads.
- Contribution. The effective executive is one who stresses contribution to group goals. Peter Drucker, makes this insightful comment, “The man who focuses on efforts and who stresses his downward authority is a subordinate no matter how exalted his title and rank. But the man who focuses on contribution and who takes responsibility for results no matter how junior, is, in the most literal sense of the phrase, ‘top management.’ He holds himself accountable of the whole” (55).
Our Actions
- Leading and Following. We must learn both to lead and to follow. Both leading and following can be done with poor motivation or with proper attitudes. Shostrom writes, “I believe that in each of us there are two sides, which Frederick Perls calls the ‘top-dog’ and the ‘under-dog.’ Top-dog is the active side in that it is more energetic, commanding, and authoritative. The under-dog is the passive side in that it is compliant and submissive in either a manipulative or a creative, actualizing way” (9). Naturally, we want to lead and to follow in “creative, actualizing” ways.
- Leading with Diligence. In Romans 12:6-8 Paul writes about gifts of the Spirit. He declares, “And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us each exercise them accordingly” (verse 6). Among the gifts, he lists leadership. In verse 8 we read, “he who leads, [lead] with diligence.”
We must not take the gift of leadership lightly. When God has bestowed this gift, we should exercise it. We need not claim we have it! Others will know whether we do or not. When we do, we must take responsibility, put our hearts into service, and follow the Lord where He leads. - Esteem Others Highly. We talk about people with whom we associate, our conversation usually centers on our superiors, not our subordinates. At any level of activity, this is true! Some chafing would appear to be normal. Our superiors can impede or speed our progress, and sometimes they do both. Even so, we have a Biblical exhortation which should guide us. Paul says in I Thess. 5:12-13, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”
- Meet Needs. We should meet needs and avoid all abuse of power. We must not do things just to maintain power, but to serve others. The needs of people cry out to be met. Eventually, these needs will override all other concerns.
Conclusion
Once again we see that service is the sine qua non (without which not) of Christian leadership. All else is subordinate to this. When we have this principle clearly in view, it will guide us in all that we do.
We must all remember that Christ is Lord! Because He is Lord, we must subordinate all that we are and do to Him. All of us, as subordinate leaders, must seek His will and simply implement His commands. When followers, as well as leaders, have sought the will of God and have a common understanding of that will, great unity and sense of purpose prevails.
For Further Study
Drucker, Peter F. The Effective Executive. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1967.
Editor. “Bits and Pieces” (May, 1973).
Korda, Michael. Power! How to Get It, How to Use It. New York: Ballantine Books, 1975.
Tead, Ordway. The Art of Leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1935.
Shostrom, Everett L. Man, the Manipulator New York: Bantam Books, 1968.
© Copyright 2002 by George M. Flattery