Today’s Daily Lesson comes from
Isaiah chapter 24 verses 21 though 24:
21 On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven in heaven,
and on earth the kings of the earth.
22 They will be gathered together
like prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be abashed,
and the sun ashamed;
for the Lord of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before his elders he will manifest his glory.
And Matthew chapter 20 verses 20 through 28:
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. 21And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ 22But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’* They said to him, ‘We are able.’ 23He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’
24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’
We come down to the next to last day of the liturgical calendar, and the readings given for the day are about power and its right use.
We all know the saying, “Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is so often the case in the world and the reason why Jesus says those in power must be willing to give it up. The “great” among us, he says, must be a “servant”.
There are other ways of being great; Jesus admits that. And the rulers of this world are great because of the abuse of their power. It’s what got them where they are.
“But not so among you,” Jesus says. Not in God’s kingdom.
The days are coming, Isaiah says, when the rulers of this earth will be held accountable for their use and misuse of power. Did they use it wisely as true public servants of common good; or did they use it for their own personal gain? The day is coming, Isaiah, says when the truth will be told, and “the moon will be abashed and the sun will be ashamed” of all that has been done both under the cloak of darkness and also even in bright of broad daylight.
In the end, it’s the “Son of Man” who will judge both the host of heaven and also the kings and nations of the earth. He will judge between many nations, and sift between many so-called “great” rulers. And in the end, the kings and queens and presidents and CEOs and countries will be judged not by how much absolute power we amassed for ourselves, but rather by how much power we used for the aid and benefit of others.
So may it be.
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