Matthew 20 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
What is authority? And how should it be used?
I was recently bothered by a sermon a priest gave. The priest's job as I see it is to minister the word of God, not out of any personal gain, but for the benefit of the hearers. But what I heard that day, I judged to be full of subtle political hints. He talked about the need for peace inside the church, but he connected that with the need to never go against what the priest says.
It is quiet unfortunate the road the institution of priesthood is going down. They went down the road of taking authority in the form that the Lord Jesus Christ didn't intend. They use it as a way to increase their power within the church and when there is opposing opinion, they use that power to shutdown the ideas, or else we are sinners and we disrupt the peace of the church. They use this authority to ensure that the congregation lives under the threat of guilt their entire life.
I'm sure this doesn't apply to all priests, but I have seen it. And the sad thing is that people who are doing this don't see their mistakes. They are entirely convinced that they are doing the right thing. This is the epitome of self deceit.
So what is authority? I have to reason for my sanity is that authority is responsibility. Responsibility to ensure the well being of everyone under your authority, not for your gain, but for their gain. This is true in the church as well as in the world. And I think that's why we see so much trouble all around us, because people are abusing their authority. Some abuse it with their children, others in their job, others at church.
For the priest or the speaker, the pulpit is not a place for them to push forward their own agenda. What good did it do when he went out and gave this unnecessary speech? Nothing. People went out thinking that there is a problem in the church? Why would you do that? What good could this bring? If you have a problem with someone open up a dialogue with them. Or is it that you can't put down your pride to talk. Or do you talk, but only that the other listens, and you don't want to hear what they have to say. Has your authority become about yourself only? Has is become only to make yourself feel better. I'm troubled with you. I want to let you know that you're causing me much heartache. But it is what it is. You won't change.
If I have authority over people and I see that there is starting to be a division between them and I, then the onus is on me to make sure that this division doesn't happen. It's my responsibility to compromise even to the extent where I'm not happy, but in order to make sure the peace of the group. I shouldn't be putting my own comfort and peace of mind ahead of everyone else's. But of course, you'll think you're doing that. There is no point talking to a person who is that deep in self deceit. He has no ears to listen.
My conclusion then is that authority without humility is a deadly weapon. Secondly, authority is not my own, but it has been entrusted to me for a very specific reason. I shouldn't look at it as right but a privilege that could be taken away from me at anytime. I should deal with it in respect. I should put the people under my authority ahead of me. Their peace of mind should be paramount. Sure, there are times when it is necessary to exercise this authority in a firm manner, but for people's edification and not due to my pride. And this should happen between the authority figure and one person or a very limited group of people and not in public. Authority without wisdom is disastrous. And wisdom doesn't come with age unfortunately.
What shall I say? I can not change people. I can not change the priesthood institution. I just hope that there is a movement from within to change. All I can do is observe and not do as they have done; to learn from their mistakes.