Living Stones – Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Benefactors
Luke 22:24
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.
It appears that the jostling for the unnamed positions of leadership among the disciples was constant. Here, at the Lord’s table, they were arguing about who among them is the greatest. Luke, in his account, places this discussion right after the last Passover supper. “Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.” Luke 22:24. The chronology doesn’t matter because the matter seems to be popping up all the time.
It came up while they were on journeys with Jesus from one place to the other, “Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.” Mark 9:33-34
As we noticed, this quest of theirs had also included relatives, at least on one occasion that we have on record. Matthew records that, “the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” Matthew 20:20-21.
This did not go down well with the other disciples of course. “And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.” Matthew 20:24.
Every time this fight for positions of power and prestige came up Jesus made one point, that the way to power and prestige is through servanthood. “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” Mark 10:43
Those who try to achieve positions of authority and positions of power by any other means were called benefactors. The way Jesus spoke suggests that He was not just making reference to the religious leaders but also to the national leaders. This is easy to accept since, at the time, the Roman occupation put many of the religious leaders in positions of political and administrative power.
The benefactors expected that people should be grateful to them for whatever opportunity they afforded them. The benefactors expected to be served, to receive gifts, and to be given places of honour. In turn, the benefactors often exploited their followers, they used them, misused them, abused them and often afterwards refused them.
Jesus then drew a parallel, clearly intended as a reference to the leaders of the Roman Empire that was occupying Palestine at the time, but historians tell us that the word he used was also used in reference to rulers of Egypt and Syria. “He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’” Luke 22:25
The tendency to lose focus on the work of Jesus and focus on their own positions threatened to undermine His mission and He had to constantly pull them back. Jesus was very concerned that if this tendency was not nipped in the bud it would also set a bad example for life in the Kingdom going forward.
On one occasion he used a child as a means of teaching the principles of leadership in the Kingdom in response to their fight for positions. “He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”” Mark 9:35-37
On this occasion, recorded by Luke, Jesus gives us an upside-down view of greatness. The tendency among people is to think of those in the privileged seats as the greatest. Jesus pointed out that that is not how greatness in the Kingdom of God is measured. “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”
So much about how we conduct the affairs of our churches today would be different if our leaders were servants. Most of us have no idea what that would look like because we have bought into the world’s model of the leaders being served. In many places in the church, today leaders have become benefactors. Some have become benefactors through political affiliation or association, some through connections to the wealthy, and some have just exploited people’s gullibility.
Benefactors, in order to survive, must make unreasonable demands of their followers. The followers, who, more often than not, do not receive the promised ‘blessing’ or ‘favour’ are led to think that if they do more or give more they would eventually prevail, keep giving until they are giving what they do not have.
There is a simple test to determine if your leaders are genuinely following the model left by Jesus. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
Think on these things:
- Are you being led by benefactors?
- How can we safeguard those in the Kingdom who are vulnerable to benefactors?
- If you are a leader how could you be more like a servant than you are now?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we who lead would follow the example of Jesus.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
