Chapter Ten

PRINCIPLES OF POWER IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

diakonia

THE SERVANT KING

We always talk about God as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  King of Kings is a lofty title that has been used by several monarchies (usually empires in the informal sense of great powers) throughout history, and in many cases the literal title meaning "King of Kings", i.e. Monarch elevated above other royal rulers in a vassal, tributary or protectorate position, especially in the case of Semitic languages, is conventionally (usually inaccurately) rendered as Emperor. Titles of this relative type have been in use from the most ancient times in Aryan. The rulers of Persia, at various times (under Zoroastrian as well as Muslim dynasties), have been titled Shâhanshâh, the shah of shahs  Whereas the most literal Sanskrit equivalent is Rajadhiraja,  such as Maharaja (literally Great King, also greatly devaluated by title inflation) and Maharajadhiraja (Bahadur) 'Great King of kings'. The titles Maharajadhiraja and Rajadhiraja were also assumed by some great Kushan kings in the 1st and 2nd centuries of AD, as was Devaputra or 'Son of God'.  Effectively we associate this concept with Power and Authority over the whole creatures so that he can control and do whatever it pleases him.

The Problem with the concept of Kingship and Power

However the picture presented by Jesus about authority and power presents an opposite upside down view.

Who Is the Greatest? (Luke22:24-30)

Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that.    Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

You are those who have stood by me in my trials.   And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,   so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  The greatest among you will be your servant.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Mat 23:11-12  He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The Apostle John tells the rest of the story.

In response to the disciples' bickering Jesus takes off his outer garment, takes a towel and a basin, kneels behind each of them, and begins to wash their feet. He not only talks about being a servant on this occasion, he acts it out before them as a living parable they will never forget (John 13:4-17).

Joh 13:3-5 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel.  Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

Joh 13:12-17 When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?   You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them

The Upside down Kingdom

The soldier obeyed the centurion because he knew that he would be punished if he disobeyed.  The centurion had the coercive power of the Roman Empire behind him.  This is authority from above. That power may be legal power, as is the case of the centurion.  It may be the power of a gun, or simply be bigger fists. When we think of a king or a kingdom, we imagine a dictator imposing his will on a helpless populace, draining them of their resources to be used for his own personal aggrandizement. Even if we picture him as a benevolent despot, he is at best an efficient bureaucrat.

But when we speak of God and the concept of kingdom, we refer to a completely different model.

Authority from above needs force.

In contrast, the Authority from below has no coercive force.  Instead it is based on two factors: Love and Freedom

God’s Handicap

 In dealing with the cosmos and all the living beings in it God is handicapped. But this handicap is self-imposed.  God deliberately takes upon himself this handicap because we are Sons of God. Hence he gives all sentients in the cosmos  free will. He will never force us into doing right , even when he knows that we are moving in the wrong direction and will eventually kill us. 

He conquers all through His Love whereby he dies himself for us and gives us a way out.  He still will not force us to take that road.  He is long suffering and waits the Father who waits for his prodigal Son.

Joh 15:12-13  This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 NIV

Freedom and Service

All authority in the kingdom of God is based on freedom and service.  This seems like a mystery, but it makes the kingdom of God unique.

Joh 12:24 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.

Php 2:1-11   So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus demonstrated how servant authority works.

He lived amongst the people and served them. Many responded to his love by to become his disciples. 

He had great authority over his disciples, but no one was forced to obey him. They obeyed him because they loved him. Every disciple was free to withdraw their submission at any time. Judas demonstrated this freedom when he withdrew his submission to Jesus and submitted to the Jewish leaders.

“Come see his hands and his feet,
the scars that speak of sacrifice,
hands that flung stars into space,
to cruel nails surrendered.
This is our God, the Servant King,
He calls us now to follow Him
to bring our lives as a daily offering
of worship to the Servant King.”    Graham Kendrick 

In the Kingdom of God, people gain authority by serving.

Husbands gain authority in their family,  by loving their wives.

Elders have authority,  because they serve the Christians in their care.

Those with authority in the kingdom of God must serve others.

They must never use coercion to get their will done.

The greatest SERVANT in the cosmos is God.

This is the Kingdom where each cares for the other and they form a family based on love and service giving themselves to each other.

God so loved the world HE GAVE

The Gospel in the Dress

This teaching of the servanthood as authority is intentionally built into the dress of the Priesthood.  The dress of the Priest is the dress of the servants in the middle east with its waist band in readiness to serve.

The dress of Bishops  indicates Sacrifice of the blood and Servanthood.  Washed in the blood of the lamb gives its saffron color.  Safron clothes became of symbol of the sanyasins only after the ministry of Jesus.  The Brahmins even today wears the white.

Priestly dress of glory and authority is worn on top indicating the origin of authority is in the servantbood.

The greatest is the one who serve

"Love's Rule"

In essence, the Kingdom of God should be translated as  "Love's Domain," "Love's Dominion," or "Love's Rule" because the Kingdom of God is where the God is. God is Love

The only definitions of God in the bible are:

God is Love and God is a Spirit and God is Light

1Jn 4:7-24   Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

1Jn 4:19  We love, because he first loved us.  If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1Jn 4:21  And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.

Joh 4:24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

1Jn 3:16  By this we know love, that THEY laid down THEIR life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

1Jn 1:5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

Receive the Kingdom and the Kingdom responsibilities that Jesus would confer upon you.  Become partakers in the redemptive process of the cosmos

Behold I make all things new.