“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”
“What did you do when you had the power?“
The question came courtesy of Tom Foley. When I heard it, I immediately deposited it into the vault of my long-term memory.
Tom serves as the President of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP). Two weeks ago I joined other college presidents for our annual AICUP conference. In our meeting, Tom asked that penetrating question. It was a question former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey posed to Tom when he worked for Governor Casey as Secretary of Labor and Industry.
I got thinking about that question again this Good Friday morning as I reflected on the words of historian Barbara W. Tuchman in her book, The March of Folly. In it, Tuchman chronicles the long history of misgovernment due to the folly of its leaders. She reminds leaders of Lord Acton’s dictum, that power corrupts. Then she wrote something which grabbed my attention — “power breeds folly.”
That was an AHA! Moment for me. Why? Because it was the third power maxim I have heard in my life:
Power corrupts
Power breeds folly
You may be saying, “Wait a minute. That’s only two power maxims.”
You are right. I learned the third maxim from Robert Caro in his Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Lyndon Johnson, The Master of the Senate. In that book, Caro writes:
Power corrupts—that has been said and written so often that it has become cliche. But what is never said, but is just as true, is that power reveals. When a man is climbing, trying to persuade others to give him power, he must conceal those traits that might make others reluctant to give it to him, that might even make them refuse to give it to him. Once the man has power, it is no longer necessary for him to hide those traits. Master of the Senate, xii
Power reveals! Yes it does. And nowhere is that more evident than in the crucifixion of Jesus.
If we are not careful, we will view the crucifixion as “poor Jesus helplessly crucified by the Romans, the Jewish leaders, and the unknowing people he came to save.” And that would be partly right and very wrong. It would be wrong because on that cross hung not the helpless carpenter turned prophet, but the all-powerful Son of God. The New Testament writers — and Jesus — are very clear about that.
John said, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3 ESV
Paul said, “In him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17 ESV
Jesus said, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” John 10:17-18 ESV
Remember the three power maxims:
Power corrupts — but it does not corrupt Jesus.
Power breeds folly — but it does not fool Jesus.
Power reveals — oh yes it does! It reveals the extravagant love of Jesus.
To appreciate the love of Christ we need to listen in on the dialog between Jesus and his disciples as he made his way to Jerusalem and the cross. Matthew recounts it for us:
“Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” Matthew 20:17-19 NLT
With that conversation in mind, let me come full circle, back to the question Tom Foley posed to us in that AICUP meeting:
““What did you do when you had the power?””
That is such a great question! Let me tell you what Jesus did when he had the power. Knowing what was coming — and what he COULD DO with his power to stop it — He still laid down his life. Paul puts it this way:
Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:7-8 NLT
Let me add one more quote to this quote-filled post. It comes courtesy of the venerable John Stott. The last book Stott wrote was entitled, The Radical Disciple. In it, Stott said:
“Nothing is more important for mature Christian discipleship than a fresh, clear, true vision of the authentic Jesus. ”
May this Good Friday find you reveling in the revelation of the power of Jesus on your behalf. Christ, the one with ALL POWER, surrendered himself to endure the wrath of God to provide a covering for your sin, to enable forgiveness before God, and to provide you with a new relationship with the Father as an adopted son or daughter.
Good Friday shows us the third thing power does — it reveals. Good Friday reveals the sacrificial power of Christ and God’s unsurpassed love for us.
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Notes:
“Power breeds folly . . .” from The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, by Barbara W. Tuchman. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1984. Page 32
“Power corrupts—that has been said and written . . .” from Master of the Senate, by Robert A. Caro. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2002. Page xii.
“Nothing is more important . . .’ from The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling, by John R. Stott. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2010. Page 45.