Deep in Christian devotion is the conviction that Jesus is
king. Integral to this concept is today’s text from Luke 23,
where Pilate commanded that a sign be posted in ridicule over the
dying Jesus, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” But Christians
turned that ridicule into triumphant when Jesus was raised from the
dead. No power on earth was God’s equal, but why? What
is such legitimate power?
When kings ruled the world Jesus shunned
that title though demonstrating superior power. This gives us
cause to examine the impact or relationship between Jesus’ power and
civil powers. Jesus obviously related to civil and religious
authorities. He obeyed civil laws. He said, “Give to Caesar
that which is Caesars and to God that which is God’s.” He said
that while fully aware that Caesar supported crucifixions and atrocities. We are left to fret and debate the relationship between and the form
of God’s power and the forms of civil power. Where is the “line”
drawn between the two powers?
Do I go to war when my country
demands it when Jesus said, “love your enemies?” Do I assert,
“my country right or wrong?” Do I give financially to charities
when the government demands I supports through taxation many charitable
endeavors traditionally privately supported? Do we post the
American flag in God’s house and if so, what are we asserting about
the power of state and of God? Can we serve two masters? Do we pass laws mandating public religious exercises like prayer in
state schools? You name the issues. When do I follow God’s rules
and when do I follow the rule of law?
What does legitimate power look
like? I want to state my conclusion first and then tell you
why I think it so. Legitimate power is never self-serving, attention
grabbing or self-aggrandizing. It is characterized by behaviors
expressing divine order when there is chaos, loyalty when there is
faithlessness, truth when there is either dishonesty or half-truth,
reconciliation where there is moral alienation and moral leadership
where there is stagnation or confusion. Yes, legitimate power
is characterized by service to others reflecting these behaviors rather
than by power to demand service. Legitimate power advances Godly
behavior between all persons rather than advancing national or political
expediency that so often settles for security and stability rather
than moral goodness.
Legitimate power actually actively prevents un-Godly
self-interest, evil and injustice before it occurs. Legitimate
power actively confronts existing evil forces and injustice. Jesus modeled this by confronting the religious/political authorities
of his day about the powers of injustice and evil they advanced by
elevating laws about how to be holy without equally elevating God’s
freeing and reconciling powers.
In order that we clarify our
relationship with civil authority, let me describe the look of legitimate
and illegitimate power in personal experiences, in the Bible and in
history.
Let us begin with illegitimate power that looks like self-elevation. A baby begins to exercise non-legitimate power almost from birth. A baby is totally self-centered out of preservation. It cries
if not served. Later, as a toddler, a child will defy parent
power often even under threat of a spanking and pain. Elevation
of self-will over what is good is often seen in the young child. At least this occurs until some self-discipline or conversion to that
which is better for both self and for others hopefully begins to occur.
Religious leaders have used power illegitimately throughout history
to advance their own ideals. Christianity exercised illegitimate
power in the form of terrorism called the Crusades during the Middle
Ages. Christians exercised illegitimate power as the Ku Klux
Klan during the 20th century and through tacit support of Government
sponsored terrorism against American Indians during the 19th century. It is the same illegitimate use of power by some Islamic believers
supporting terrorism today. God’s legitimate power is not self-serving
and self-preserving, but serving of truth and mercy for the sake of
God’s subjects.
Examine the Jeremiah text for this sermon. Jeremiah lived during the time of Hebrew history when the king was
both the chief of state and the chief priest. The trouble was
that kings were not very devout about power. Kings thought like
people with illegitimate power. That meant they elevated self-interest
over the good of their constituency or that of their non-Jewish neighbors. Therefore, prophets labeled one king after another as “bad.” They were bad because they elevated personal expediency over right
relationships between Jews and between Jews and non-Jews.
And then
along came King Josiah. He discovered lost scrolls about legitimate
Godly power and had them read to all the people. A revival occurred. Jeremiah was pleased. But then Josiah began to have visions
of political grandeur similar to that of King David. Legitimate
power gave way to illegitimate self-serving power. He became a political
expansionist. He began to compromise with nearby kings who had
selfish egotistical priorities. He began to turn his back on
God’s priorities and principles and do the expedient things to advance
his own interest, justifying it for the good of God’s people. In doing so, Jeremiah said Josiah had lost his prophetic role. Like
previous Hebrew kings, Josiah had become a shepherd who followed two
conflicting priorities. That scattered and destroyed those sheep
that he was intended to guide. He had abandoned his legitimate
power.
For instance, Nebuchedrezzar of Babylon loomed on the eastern
horizon and was much more powerful as I am defining illegitimate power. Josiah saw this as a threat because his priorities had become building
his own kingdom. Jeremiah urged using the arrival of the Babylonians
as an opportunity for the Jews to spread the principles of God to
people they would never have encountered otherwise. Consequently,
Jeremiah urged peace when the Babylonians approached so Jews could
convert Babylonians.
Because of this Nebuchedrezzar offered to make
Jeremiah a government leader, but he refused. Why? Because
his understanding of the relationships between God’s legitimate power
and illegitimate political power would require he lose his position
of judging all sides in light of God’s behaviors and principles. He would cease to be in a position allowing him to be prophetic and
he might become compromised.
But Jeremiah saw a day when a righteous
Branch called “The Lord Our Righteousness,” literally meaning the
legitimate Lord (power) would arrive. This person would maintain
his prophetic role by adherence to divine principles and priorities
and not lose it to personal political expediency as had Josiah. Jeremiah
illustrates legitimate power. Josiah illustrates illegitimate
power when he turned to rely on political alliances to elevate him
and Judah.
Now examine a historical illustration. William Wilberforce
lived a rather wild and immoral life in
Wilberforce
ran for Parliament and in spite of his stand on slavery was elected
to the House of Commons. He believed God had called him into
the House of Commons to end slavery and the slave trade. In
the year Wilberforce began his campaign over 100,000 slaves were captured
in
It took 20 years but in 1807 Parliament finally abolished
trading in slaves. It took an additional twenty-six years before
slavery itself was abolished in Britton. But the year Wilberforce
died, it became reality! Wilberforce served God’s principles
more than political expediency to draw the line between legitimate
power and lesser power. Oh, by the way, remember the British
economy survived and thrived.
Friends, I call us all to conversion
to such legitimate power. I call us to serve the Lord who is
the only king exercising legitimate power selflessly, for our sake
and not out of some need to be secure and applauded.
We are not naturally
servants of legitimate power. We crave illegitimate power from
our birth! We are naturally self-elevating and self-serving
persons. That is the case unless we admit we are wrong and repent. We are not naturally servants of legitimate power unless we come see
that we have injured God and our world by serving illegitimate power.
Let us seek God’s forgiveness. Let us accept God’s promise of
forgiveness. It is what God has wanted all along.
Illegitimate
power demands retribution. Legitimate power is not interested
in that, only in reconciliation and everyone living by God’s behaviors. God is king of legitimate power. Embrace it! Will you?
Well?