#190 Putting Power to Use

A few weeks ago Tess and I listened to the podcast Nice White Parents. In this podcast, Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a school district—and particularly one middle school in that district—in New York City. Over the years, there's a lot of talk about integration and working for equality, but often very little actual progress gets made. Things really happen when the people who have power—in this case, the "nice white parents"—want them to happen. By the end of the series, Joffe-Walt says she thinks that bringing equality in general seems to require those who have power to work for a system that no longer gives them advantages.

As I thought about this idea, my mind quickly went to Philippians 2. Here's verses 3-8: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"

What Jesus has done is very much what Joffe-Walt suggests. Jesus is God the Son. He has all power and authority. He deserves all glory and honor. We are weak humans, who again and again do wrong, sinning against Jesus. Jesus owes us nothing. But He humbles Himself. He empties Himself. He comes down from His heavenly throne and lives as a weak and limited human. He puts God's power to work to deliver people who were demon-possessed and heal people who were sick and restore people who were outcasts. Finally He humiliates Himsefl by dying on a cross. But through His death and resurrection, Jesus saves and forgives His sinful people. Jesus suffers so we who belong to Him may receive God's benefits. Jesus uses His power for us.

And Jesus calls His people, those of us who believe in Him, to imitate Him. If we have power (and sometimes we have more than we realize), we shouldn't cling to it for our own advantage. We should put our power to use for other's benefit. We should consider others' needs alongside and even before our own. That's not easy for me. I'm pretty sure that's not easy for any of us. It goes against human nature. But praise God, it fits exactly with God's nature. With God's Spirit's help, let's strive to be more like Jesus.

Grace and peace,

BMH