It shall not be so among you


Matt. 20:25-28

 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”


We have failed at this, as abjectly as we have failed at unity. Theories of who has authority in the church are as numerous as church denominations. Of course it is a point church leaders are unwilling to debate. Their own authority and prestige are at stake, so it's quickly on to another topic when this one comes up.

The Pope using for an official title "Servant of the servants of God" is unconvincing to Protestants, especially so because the phrase sometimes has prefaced declarations not very servant-like.

There is no cause and no need to single out popes and Catholics in this matter. Imperious stances have from time to time been taken by church leaders of all traditions. I wonder if this relates to our failures at unity. It seems, at the least, a reasonable question to raise.

What does servant leadership look like, and would it promote unity?  As Christians saw the gift being offered  them in great leadership, wouldn't it be reasonable if they lined up to take advantage of it? On this model, leaders would earn their followers rather than command them. If the idea seems strange, that is because it is unworldly.

Pastors are literally shepherds; that's what the word means. They are not supposed to be like little kings or generals. Actual shepherds (the kind who herd actual sheep) make sheep go places by going ahead of them, not by pushing or threatening or haranguing. Sheep, it may be noted, follow shepherds out of instinctive self interest, not duty or tradition or a burdened conscience. Sheep have no grasp of such concepts, and certainly lack the intellectual capacity to follow their shepherd because they despise and look down on the sheep of other shepherds. 

If the Pope (or someone else) wants to be everyone's shepherd, let him show by practical outcomes that the sheep following him get more and better sheep things, rather in the way that we can tell if an actual shepherd knows his business: The sheep get plenty of good things to eat, plenty of good clean water to drink, and all the rest of what is interesting and needful to sheep. Christians viewed as metaphorical sheep do not want literal green pastures and still waters, but sanctity, truth, grace and peace. We are eager to follow those who know where those things are and how to get them.

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