Look forward remembering who we are

As reported in Mark's gospel, Jesus and his disciples were walking on their way to Capernaum and the disciples were busy arguing among themselves. Jesus took note and when they arrived at their destination, he asked them about their discussion. This very ordinary group of men had hooked up with Jesus and found themselves in a heady situation when Jesus proved to be very popular. It appeared to them that Jesus was going to be a powerful leader, and they were vying for positions in his administration.

His simple advice was, "If any among you want to be great, let him be a servant of all."

It was not the answer they wanted to hear. Jesus was a vocal advocate of establishing the "kingdom of God on earth," but his ideas about how that kingdom was to be established parted with conventional understanding.

For his understanding, Jesus drew from the written materials attributed to the prophet Isaiah. The materials are not from one author, but are a collection that was put together over a period of about 200 years. Jesus drew heavily from the Isaiah writings, but his concept of servitude was found in a particular section (chapters 40-55) that was written in the mid-sixth century B.C.E.

In this section of the Isaiah writings, there are four poems that feature a servant.

Israelites had imaged themselves as a great nation through the exercise of military power. Israel had experienced dominance through military power under the rule of King David and King Solomon. Those days were long gone. Their capital city (Jerusalem) and their grand temple had been destroyed. The Israelite population had been scattered and a remnant survived as slaves in Babylonia. The Israelite experiment of greatness through the exercise of power had failed totally. An Israelite theologian/slave in Babylon decided that the chosen people of God had to rethink the path to greatness and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. This lonely Israelite writer living in Babylon set off a debate that still reverberates among parts of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Is God's kingdom on earth to be established by power or by serving? The Isaiah writer gave a clear answer. The Kingdom of God on earth was to be established by a servant - and not by just any servant, but, according to the fourth poem, a suffering servant. Israel was to be the servant that transforms the world.

The Matthew, Mark and Luke gospel writers all agree. Jesus began his teaching by announcing that the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth was at hand. His disciples envisioned a revolution. Jesus offered them the role of servant.

Jesus came to be recognized as a rabbi or teacher. There is no evidence that he had rabbinic training. He was never endorsed or recognized by any official body. He was what is called a reputational rabbi. He fulfilled the role of a rabbi and was embraced as a rabbi by those who came under his leadership. His reputation grew because of what he said and did. There is no record that he ever sought power or privilege. He simply went about doing good and taught what he lived.

Today, almost 2 billion people identify themselves as Christians. I believe Jesus is still attempting to have the same conversation with us that he had with his disciples. Jesus is still insisting on establishing the kingdom of God on earth by being a servant people.

The United States is not, and does not, claim to be a Christian nation. We are made up of a variety of religious peoples, but the nation was formed as a secular nation. However, even as a secular nation, we are faced with the same dynamic with which Jesus and the Isaiah writer recognized. Greatness can never be achieved through the exercise of power. Empires established by power all eventually fail. America will probably be no different.

I do not believe history ever repeats itself. Time is constantly moving on and circumstances are changing constantly. The United States as empire is not inevitably doomed. We can do a new thing.

I admit to being a political junkie. I enjoy the presidential debates and I listened intently to our president's "State of the Union" speech. I heard the same message from all candidates and our president. We must continue to be No. 1 in the world, and that can be maintained only through power.

The United States is in critical need of reimaging itself. What if the United States' leadership were based on "servant of the world?" It would certainly be a new thing.

More pressing is the need for Christians and Christian churches to reimage themselves. We, too, have pursued power images of ourselves and have become impotent in the process. Not all are guilty, but too many are. The invisible, yet transforming, kingdom of God on earth is still possible. If the job is done, it will be done only if we remember who we are. We are servants of all.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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