Authority and servitude

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (Mark 10:43).

“It’s good to be the king.”  This phrase, first spoken by comedian Mel Brooks, expresses something we all feel at one time or another—if I was in charge, life would be great.

There are individuals with a lot of power in this world—people like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Barack Obama.  We can only imagine having their kind of influence over politics, business and public opinion. There are many more who have authority to a lesser degree—teachers, bosses, judges. Such people can make life easier for us, or they can get in the way of reaching our goals if they have a mind to. We often find ourselves wishing to have the power that rests in their hands, even if just for a little while.

But power and authority come with a lot of pressure and responsibility. The president cannot say anything in public without someone offering criticism, nor can he order military action without first carefully weighing the consequences. Judges render verdicts that can imprison the defendant for years, even decades of life—it’s important to get such decisions right every single time. A business manager who screws up can lead a company into bankruptcy, costing all the employees their jobs. 

Frankly, I’m glad that God is in charge of things. I know how easy it is to make a bad decision, to overlook an important detail, to accidentally make things worse instead of better. I know that the more power, influence, or authority that a person has, the bigger the problems their mistakes can cause. And I know that being on top invites an awful lot of criticism, because you can never satisfy everyone at the same time. I’m not convinced that “it’s good to be the king”.

God blesses each of us with skills and resources to be used in His service. Maybe that service is humbling at times. Being a follower does not always bring fame or accolades. But wars cannot be won if a general has no soldiers. Businesses cannot thrive if the branch manager has no one to wait on customers. Movies cannot be made if the actors don’t have someone behind the cameras. Our Lord Jesus set aside His privileges as the Prince of Heaven to serve us in our need, humbling Himself to death on a cross so we might be forgiven our sins. His great sacrifice proves that serving is commendable.