The Leader You Want

Our sermon roundtable meets every Monday afternoon.  We begin with sharing any thoughts and reactions about the previous Sunday's service, particularly the sermon.  Then we look at the texts for the coming week together. 

This week we are looking ahead to Christ the King, marking the end of the liturgical year.  Our texts helped us reflect on the nature of kingship – both in the world and in the eternal realm.

Jeremiah 23:1-6   Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Luke 23:33-43      When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

We mused about the image in Jeremiah of a shepherd who drives the flock away.  Clearly such a shepherd is failing at his duties and is undeserving of the name.  But if we recall the long, sordid history of kings in Israel, it is easy to see why God chose such an image.  The kings did not care for God’s people the way God wanted them to do so.  In the same passage, we are reminded of the prevailing theology of the time, that we receive all things, good and bad, from God’s hand.  All these things, then, are a part of God’s plan.

In these two texts we are being asked to consider power and leadership at a variety of levels, from a variety of perspectives.  The kings of Israel were the shepherds who have abandoned the care of the flock, the Lord is the Shepherd who is powerful over all shepherds/kings, both good and bad, and finally will raise up righteous leaders for the people.  And Jesus, who is the Messiah, will be worshiped as king but at the same time, taunted and mocked for being called king.  He will also be crucified for the same reason.  Emperors don’t like the idea that there is another king competing for the people’s obeisance.

When we worship power and lose sight of God things go awry.  That essential ingredient, humility, is lost and what happens then, inevitably, is that the people suffer.  I am reminded of some earlier words of indictment from the prophet, “They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.” 

We don’t have kings for ourselves anymore.  We have systems of elected leadership, division of powers, checks and balances, et cetera.  And yet, the hunger for power still rages.  And the system cracks under pressure.  And the people suffer.

These days, I am looking at leadership this way:  There is the leader you want, there is the leader you get, and there is the leader God wants for you.  These are not likely to be the same.  I have not yet sorted through what it means, but I am wondering.

There was a moment when it all might have come together – when Jesus entered Jerusalem with so many adoring followers. Would they have voted for Jesus as president?  And if there had been a democratic system in place, would the Romans have allowed a peaceful transition of power?  And would the Pharisees and Sadducees and Chief Priests have pledged to work with their new leader for the health of the nation?  Well, none of that was meant to be.

There was somebody who recognized Jesus as a true king.  But he was hanging on death row along with him.