Since 1981, I have been a pastor, and I have trained pastors. One thing I’ve learned is that those who love the power that comes with religious leadership are the last people who should have it.
Luke 17 depicts Jesus training disciples to be the public face of his “good news” movement. They could easily feel entitled (like James and John, who asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand). They might think “we’ve been appointed by God’s Son—we’re something special!”
But entitled religious leaders, fascinated with power and status, can do much harm. We’ve seen them implicated in child sexual abuse scandals, mass suicide, financial and spiritual abuse. So Jesus says to his disciples: “you weren’t chosen to follow me because of superior worth or achievements. You were chosen to serve me, and those to whom I send you.”
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says that to avoid entitled religious leadership God chooses the weak! They are less tempted to feel entitled. The world can see through the weak to the real power that is at work—God’s Spirit, healing, connecting, creating, making whole.
Spirit of God, use us in our weakness so that our ministry may point to you and not to ourselves. Amen. —