Christians do well to retreat to a neutral position when considering secular leaders. That is not to suggest that we are to be neutral towards any evil forced upon us by the powers-that-be, but to say that worldly authorities are just that—Worldly! Believers have faith in God’s providence, not the scheming of men. Jesus explained their ambitions thus:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them” (Matthew 20:25).
We must note that Jesus’ leadership illustration was more about the ambitions of a believer than the ambitions of those who rule over him. Christians must eschew any notion of being-the-boss. “Instead,” Jesus continues, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27).
One thing is for sure: There is plenty of room at the end of a line, but nobody wants to be there. In our negatively wired society, it is rare to find people who actively train themselves to consider the needs of others before their own. I know Christians who have sacrificed greatly to this end and have been greatly blessed. I have also met others who have met with mixed success; they lament that the devil’s pull is strong.
But lest we get lost in the sentimentality of half-heartedness, Jesus inseparably binds the Christian’s pursuit of selflessness to his own mission: “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” (Matthew 20:28).
Herein lies a life full of meaning and purpose; one inextricably tied to the service of the lost.
Who’s in charge? To ask is to miss the point!
John Staiger
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