Abuse of Power in the Church—Part III—Jesus Has Something to Say to Leaders

In Matthew 23, Jesus warns His disciples and the crowds following him against the following things about their leaders (“the teachers of the law and the Pharisees”)

--hypocrisy: "do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

--heavy demands and lack of empathy: “They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

--pride: “Everything they do is done for people to see.”

--narcissism/ego: “they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

Jesus’ warning extends to us as well—reminding us that He alone is our Rabbi/Teacher/Instructor/Messiah, God alone is our Father, and we are all brothers and sisters. He flattens the hierarchy among us. In this context, talking about leaders abusing their power, Jesus also calls His followers to a different way of life and leadership—servant-leadership: “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Then, Jesus speaks directly to the leaders who are present. It’s past time to speak truth and defend the powerless who do not have a voice. He calls them hypocrites whose leadership prevents people from coming to faith or practicing their faith in God or finding the Lord a refuge. Leadership isn’t about adding burdens to the lives and faith of followers. He calls them blind fools, blind guides. They have rigid practices of obedience in things like tithing (“You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin.”), but Jesus says, “you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

Jesus exposes their outer “righteous” practices as being simply a cover-up for their interior lives: “full of greed and self-indulgence” and “full of hypocrisy and wickedness,” and He tells them how to overcome this by paying attention to their blind spots—committing to inner work first.

He calls out their arrogance at saying they would not have killed the prophets—as their ancestors did. However, these are the same leaders who demand Jesus’ arrest and plot His murder to protect and preserve their power. It seems harsh, but He goes on to call them “snakes” “brood of vipers.”

I don’t believe we’re to take from this and other similar passages that we are to call our leaders names. However, I do believe that, just like Nathan the prophet confronting King David with his sins, we are to call our leaders to account for their hypocrisy, lack of empathy, pride, and tendencies toward narcissism. After having inspected the “log” in our own eyes, we can—“speaking the truth in love”—remind our leaders that their primary purpose is to practice “justice, mercy, and faithfulness” with humility, as servants of those they lead.

We see the heart of Jesus for His people to be well-led. The chapter finishes with Jesus agonizing over Jerusalem: “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” He is the Good Shepherd, the Hen who gathers her chicks. He will defend the powerless and hold abusive leaders to account.

Reflect:

·         Take stock of your own life and walk with Jesus. Are there areas where you could be called a hypocrite? Do you lack empathy? How prideful or narcissistic are you? Talk with God about these things. Ask Him to show you how to change in these areas.

·         Is Jesus your only Messiah? Your primary, above-all Rabbi/Teacher?

·         Do you believe that we are all equal in Jesus’ eyes?

·         What does servant-leadership look like in your context? How might you more actively practice being a servant-leader? What does it look like to humble yourself and trust the Lord to be the One to lift you up?

·         Is there a situation where God is asking you to speak truth to leadership, to defend the powerless, to give voice to the voiceless?

·         Where might you be giving the appearance of godliness but have neglected the “more important” matters like “justice, mercy and faithfulness”? What does it look like to practice those three things in your context?

·         Where are your blind spots? Ask others who know you well to help you with this. Perhaps engage a coach or spiritual director to assist you as you engage with the truth of your own self-centeredness. We are all susceptible to the undertow of pride.

·         Who is boldly calling you to account? Do you appreciate or resent them? How can you commit to hearing the truth of what they are saying—for your own sake and for the sake of your continued effectiveness as a leader?

·         Spend some time in prayer asking for Jesus’ heart for those you lead.

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Catalyst for Equipping at her 1,200 member church since 1999. Contact her about growing your self- and other-awareness and life/ministry coaching.

Photo (c) Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.