What does it mean to be great?

President Donald campaigned and is serving under the banner “make America great again.” Apparently no one has asked him to define “great” and he has not identified when we were last great. I keep listening and, as I put his remarks in context, I conclude that he wants our nation to be dominant in military power and in world economics. Recently (December 18) he once more called America to be great again. His words called to mind the words of Jesus. If anyone among you would be great, he must be the servant of all.”

The contrast appears to be glaring. However, one must keep in mind, that Donald Trump is the President of the United States, while Jesus was speaking for the Kingdom of God on earth. The United States is a nation of law; the Kingdom of God on earth is a kingdom of love, peace, grace, kindness and mercy. I am a citizen of both. The tensions between the two are real and at times painful. Every thoughtful Christian faces the dilemma.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this tension. He gave first place to the Kingdom of God. To understand King’s commitment, one must go back and read his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He paid a great price at the hands of the law. His memorial on The Mall in Washington DC is truly one of a kind. “America first” never passed his lips.

Through my mother, I share the pacifism of European Anabaptists. Anabaptists in America identify themselves by a variety of names. Amish, Mennonites and Apostolic Christians are three of many. Their convictions and beliefs vary, but one conviction was and is nearly universally accepted. They reject war and violence. They rebelled against German militarism. My great grandfather gathered his family and fled Germany militarism. For my Grandfather In the tensions between nation and the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God came first. When a nation calls for war and violence, Anabaptists respond with a firm and simple “no.” Most Mennonites will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The conflict between the two kingdoms is very real.

The struggle is with us once again. In our present tensions, what does it mean to be great? While pondering this tension, I took a new look at the Bible’s witness. Under David and Solomon, Israel became a powerful nation with killing and violence. The greatness in this era is constantly idealized. But the idealized Israel crashed. First it split and then disintegrated. The Israelites ended up a small, landless minority in a distant land. I too want greatness. However, I choose to pursue the Jesus path. I choose the gentle, loving and kind path.

I took the time to follow the path of servitude through the Bible. I was surprised at what I found. Servitude is a common subject in both Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew word “ebed” can be translated as servant or slave. In the Israelite tradition powerful male tribal leaders owned people. All women were property. So also were all children. In the ancient Israelite/Old Testament tradition the primary meaning of servant was that a person was owned by someone else and had no legal rights. The foundation of Israelite society was the servant/slave living under the absolute rule of a master. Tribal leaders and clan heads in turn theoretically belonged to their God, Jehovah.

In the New Testament, a significant change of understanding takes place, particularly in the understanding of Jesus from Nazareth. The New Testament Greek word “doulas” can properly be translated servant or slave. When Jesus taught, he was under the close watch of Roman lords. In Galilee the traditions of Israelite tribes had collapsed. The customs of the impoverished Jews of Galilee were in chaos. The new lords were Roman officials. The people chaffed under their Roman masters. The stories (parables) that Jesus taught, when put in context were a challenge to the idea of being the servants and slaves of Roman overlords. The reader of the Jesus stories must always remember that Jesus was eventually tried and put to death for insurrection.

The evidence is that Jesus simply wanted to be a faithful Israelite. But what did that mean in the impoverished area of Galilee? The growing zealot movement in Galilee wanted power through violence. Jesus never abandons the traditional organization of servants and masters. He challenged the idea of being great through ownership or violence. His words are plain enough. Put up your swords!

The Jesus way is through service not the sword. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to illustrate his point. Jesus gave a command to his followers. Wash one another’s feet. Christians make a great deal of the sacraments of communion and baptism. I am amazed how we in turn almost completely ignore his command to wash one another’s feet.

Greatness for a Christian can never be achieved with a gun, tank or missile. The challenge we face is living in a new and different context with the servant ideal. If anyone wants to be great let that person be a servant of all.

My image of Christianity is best illustrated not with a cross or an altar. It is not Jesus sitting on the throne of David. The image I like better is Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

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