Money, Sex, and Power: three topics often featured on the front page of tabloid magazines, the ones we try to avoid when checking out of grocery stores. We recognize the great temptation that can come from this dynamic trio, but none of these things are bad or sinful in and of themselves. In fact, each can be used for great good and blessing. While Christians may often be found trying to have a Christian worldview on money or sex, we often neglect the topic of power. This would be a mistake. How we steward power, just like how we steward our possessions and our bodies, reveals what rules our heart and who or what we worship. How we use our power reveals what we love. (Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.)
You Have Power
You may not realize it, but God has given you power. Power is the ability to make things happen. All of us possess power to varying degrees. We may possess intellectual power and have a great mind, physical power or great strength, financial power or wealth, or relational capital, such as access to those with power. We all have power, whether we realize it or not. Our power may simply be in our voice. As Diane Langberg has noted, even a tiny baby has the power to summon a mother out of bed with her cries in the middle of the night. If we do not recognize our power and the impact we have on others, we will tend to wield our power in ways that harm others.
Have you thought about being a good steward of the power God has given you? Power is entrusted to us by a God who has all power and authority (Matthew 28:18-20). Our power is not our own. Our power is derivative and given to us for a purpose. Either we can use our power to advance our own kingdoms, showing that we are at the center of our own universe, or like Jesus, we can seek God’s glory and use our power to bless and heal.
Use of Our Power: A Test of Righteousness
Professor and Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke states: “The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.”
What a convicting and thought provoking sentence! Waltke reminds us that the righteous are willing to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. They walk by faith, not by sight. They will stand up for truth and righteousness even when there will be retribution or persecution to come. The wicked on the other hand are glad to use their power in ways that feed their entitlement and build their own kingdom, regardless of the benefit or harm to others. It is a sad day when those in power use their power to oppress (Ecclesiastes 4:1).
Abuse of power, to the harm and detriment of those oppressed, reveals a profound lack of love in the perpetrator. Contrast this with the love demonstrated by Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. We see in Christ Jesus the proper use of power.
A Case Study on Power: Jesus vs. Pilate
Jesus, who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, fully God and fully man, humbled himself by becoming a servant. He was obedient to the point of death, to free those under bondage to sin and death. Fully aware of his mission and identity, he never misused his power. He resisted temptation from Satan in the desert to build his own kingdom. He loved the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, and mind. This was evident in how he used his power.
On the other hand, in Pontius Pilate we see a powerful ruler intent on preserving his own power. His use of power showed that he loved himself. He did not recognize where his power came from or use his power justly. (John 19:10-11.) Pilate feared the Jews and religious leaders, feared loss of his own power, and caved to the pressure from the mob who wanted Jesus dead. He found in Jesus no wrong but fearing the loud voices of the crowd, he found Jesus to be expendable. The injustice of sending a righteous man to the cross was not a problem at all when compared to the self-benefit. Despite shows to the contrary, Pilate had no true love of righteousness, justice, or truth. (Mark 15:15, Luke 23:22-24, John 18:37-38.)
At the end of this article, I’ve created a chart1 showing the difference between Pilate and Jesus in their understanding and use of power. How Pilate and Jesus use their power give us a window on their hearts and reveal what they love.
The Secret to Using Power Well
To use our power well, we must be secure in God’s love for us and know that he has victory over sin and death. Jesus died to free us from the power and penalty of sin. Jesus loved us to the end and purchased for us a relationship with his Father. We can now call his Father our Father. As Jesus went to the cross, Jesus knew God had power to raise him from the dead and that he would hear his prayers because of his holy reverence. Those united to Christ by faith have that same hope. (Hebrews 5:7.)
Even in our losses, we have nothing to lose if we gain Christ and share in the fellowship of his sufferings. Our weaknesses become an opportunity to display Christ’s power and strength. When we are seeking God’s glory and are under the control of the Holy Spirit, this is when we are most powerful and free. We become like Christ in his death, knowing God’s resurrection power. We trust that God has power to raise the dead and that he is a God who sees and rewards those who seek after him. (Phil 3:7-11, 2 Corinthians 12:9.)
Your Calling: Use Your Power to Bless
Through Christ Jesus’s death and resurrection and union with Christ by faith, we too are freed to seek God’s glory. Those who have been transformed by the love and grace of King Jesus will use power rightly. Diane Langberg states, “The power of a person is found in likeness to Jesus Christ.” (Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church, p.171.) Jesus knew his Father’s love for him, how his Father was just and good, and how he could entrust himself to his Father’s mission. By faith, our use of power to be a blessing will have eternal significance and rewards.
We tend to think that misuse of power is only a temptation for those with great power. We think that only politicians or policemen can abuse their power. Yet thinking this way shows our blind spots. Each one of us is called to be a good steward of the power God has entrusted to us.
Sometimes misuse of power simply means doing nothing and turning a blind eye. Consider the religious leaders in the parable of the good Samaritan who were too self-concerned to take a risk or to be inconvenienced by a messy bleeding and dying man, attacked by robbers. In the parable, the good Samaritan who demonstrates love of neighbor risked his own life and resources to help a man in need. How we respond to those with little power and voice demonstrate what we believe about the heart of God for the weak and vulnerable. It demonstrates whether we truly love God and our neighbor.
Matthew 25:34-40 reminds us that when Jesus comes back, he will separate the sheep from the goats. May this passage be an encouragement to us to use our power properly and seek God’s kingdom.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Application Questions:
- Christian, do you recognize that you are secure in your Father’s love?
- Will you use the power God has entrusted to you to display the Father’s love?
- Do you love righteousness, justice, and mercy more than preserving your own power?
Food for Thought: Tim Keller says: “You cannot do justice without recognizing how power has been used to exploit and abuse, but you also cannot do justice without exerting power yourself.”
- Table: Pilate vs. Jesus on Power: A Revelation of Their Heart ↩︎
| Pilate | Jesus | |
| View on the source of power | Power is mine. “I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you.” – John 19:10 | Power is delegated from God. “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” – John 19:11 |
| View on the purpose of power | To lord it over others. “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them.” – Mark 10:42 | To serve others. “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:43-45. |
| Power and fear | The fear of man governed Pilate’s use of power. Pilate was “wishing to satisfy the crowd” and “granted their demands.” (Mark 15:15, Luke 23:22-24) | Jesus’s proper fear of the Lord freed Jesus to use power rightly. Jesus tells us not to fear those that can kill the body, but to fear God instead. Luke 12:4-5 |
| Power and security | Pilate’s security was found in self-preservation. He was afraid of losing his power and position. “From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’” – John 19:12 | Jesus’s security was found in doing God’s will and knowing God’s love and faithfulness. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:42 “I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.” – John 17:4-5 See also Hebrews 5:7. |
| Power and control | Pilate could not control either others (despite trying to get the crowd to release Jesus) or himself (he ended up doing what he knew wasn’t right–delivering Jesus to be crucified). John 19:15-16 and Luke 23:20-21. | Jesus was under the control of the Holy Spirit and no other outside influence. He could have used his authority to his own benefit, but he knew it was not God’s will. “Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?” – Matthew 26:53 |
| Power and trust | Pilate ended up trusting his own wisdom in an attempt to keep the peace. Pilate failed to judge justly and used the opportunity to build new alliances instead. “That very day Herod and Pilate became friends. Previously, they had been enemies.” – Luke 23:12 | Jesus trusted a just God and purchased for us true peace. “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” – 1 Peter 2:23 |
| Power and the vulnerable | The cries of a mob rule the day under Pilate’s authority. “A third time he said to them, ‘Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.’ But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.” -Luke 23:22-24 | Jesus uses his power to stop a crowd for the need of one. Examples: – Jesus heals the bleeding woman (Luke 8:42-48) – Jesus responds to a blind beggar’s cries for mercy (Luke 18:38-42) – Jesus seeks out Zacchaeus in the midst of a crowd (Luke 19:1-10) |
| Power and shame | Pilate uses his power to avoid feeling shame, even washing his hands publicly in an attempt to absolve himself of the responsibility to act justly, deflecting blame on others. “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves. ’And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” – Matthew 27:24-26 | Jesus endured the cross with joy, despising or disregarding the shame. He knew there was greater joy and reward in doing God’s will and glorifying God. (Hebrews 12:2.) Psalm 25:3 – “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.” |
| Power and the pursuit of truth | Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” – John 18:38. Pilate ultimately believes that expediency matters more than truth. | “I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth.” – John 18:37. Jesus bore witness to the truth, even when it was hard and costly. (1 Timothy 6:13) |
