At a company I once worked for, one my colleagues ordered business cards for his position as vice president --- several weeks before he was promoted. I noticed him handing out these cards at meetings.
I was shocked at his audacity --- officially announcing his own promotion before it had even happened. Obviously, the title of vice president meant a great deal to him.
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus warns us to beware of people of covet power, even religious people. "All their works are performed to be seen," Jesus says of the religious leaders of Israel. "They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'"
Jesus' conclusion is emphatic: "Do not follow their example."
Our culture celebrates the wealthy and powerful --- especially those who flaunt their wealth and power. Somehow, their lives seem so much better than ours. We watch multi-millionaire Donald Trump flex his power on television, controlling the fortunes of aspiring millionaires and telling the unfortunates, "You're fired."
Think about it. A wealthy man is being paid by a television network so we can observe him exercising his power. We like it that much.
We are not to follow the example of those who use power and authority to call attention to themselves. We may wish we could win the lottery and live like a Trump. We may wish that a rich uncle would leave us millions of dollars in his will so we could be immune to the constant worries of financial insecurity. We may be wishing for the wrong thing.
"The greatest among you must be your servant," Jesus continues. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Jesus once again calls us to a way of living that is just about the opposite of what our culture celebrates. We applaud those who exalt themselves. The fist pumping athletes, the strutting rock star, the ruthless executive…are these our heroes? Not according to the Gospel. The greatest do not exalt themselves; they humble themselves.
If you're like me, you want to lead a great life. I want to make a difference. I want to do good in the world. A natural assumption is that the way to be influential is to be powerful. Jesus says the opposite is true. The way to be influential is to be humble. The way to be great is not to be served by others but to serve others.
Jesus invites us to lead a life of greatness, but not the way we think. We are not to imitate the rich and powerful who use their greatness to serve themselves and impress others. We are called to empty ourselves and to serve others.
This is not easy. It is not easy to believe that it will work. I worry that if I give away what little power and influence I have, I'll be the one who ends up weak and helpless. It's hard for me to believe that if I stop caring for myself and my family and care for others instead, our needs will be met.
We all are surrounded by opportunities to serve --- to use our resources for the good of others. Jesus assures us that we can afford to care for others. Indeed, a better question to ask is if we can afford not to. Bill Peatman writes from Napa.
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