First Baptist Church of Herndon

Power is a complicated word

Linda Soller | Jul 14, 2014

Power must be one of those words that gives people fits when they are trying to learn the English language. It can be used so many ways. Pause for a second and think to yourself, if asked to define power what would you say? Would you say power is the ability to bring about change? Would you say power is something few people have and many people want? Would you say power corrupts? Would you say power can be used for good or evil? You get my drift.

I was only teaching two Drop-In classes this month due to my vacation plans and realized that both of the stories I selected really dealt with power. On the first Sunday of July we talked about Zacchaeus, you remember him, the short man who climbed a tree to see Jesus. His stature may be why I personally relate to him, but he was also a powerful man, a tax collector. In his day that meant he had wealth and influence. We don’t have a ton of detail on his work from the verses in Luke, but we can gather that he felt he was doing his job fairly well because he offered to repay anyone he had cheated four times over. I have to believe that he didn’t think there would be a long line of people. In addition to his obvious power as a tax collector he inadvertently created a powerful moment for Jesus to use and capitalize on. When Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the tree, by name, and said I am coming to your house, the crowd was shocked.  What was Jesus thinking? The crowd couldn’t believe he would stoop so low as to associate with a tax collector. I feel certain Zacchaeus understood the impact of what was happening, and I also think he recognized the power behind Jesus’ words. I feel like he knew that Jesus was changing the world and he was part, however small a part, of this powerful faith being shared by Jesus.

Yesterday my story dealt with the Centurion. Talk about power! This guy was most likely physically imposing, unlike Zacchaeus, and commanding in his authority. I know you have heard the statement, “it takes one to know one,” which is most often used in a negative way. I think this powerful Centurion knew another powerful man when he saw one. I think he understood Jesus’ power and strength was from God. He did not need to see a uniform or sword to feel Jesus was in control. The Centurion also understood the responsibility of his powerful position. His slave was gravely ill, and he knew that if he did not look after his own, no one would. He asked Jesus to heal the slave. Jesus challenged him with a question, didn’t the Centurion want him to come to his house to heal the slave. The Centurion responded in complete faith that Jesus’ power could easily overcome distance, after all even he could command hundreds of troops to act without being in their presence, and he was just a man.

Both characters were powerful. Both men enjoyed the benefits of their powerful positions in society, and yet both acknowledged that Jesus was more powerful than they could ever be. We all wield power at one time or another, even though we may feel powerless. We have the power of prayer, which is ours to freely use. We can pray for those that we may not be able to help directly. We share a powerful faith that knows God is not hampered by the obstacle of distance. But if not careful we can abuse our power or let it go to waste. Either way it is a sad thing, for people with power can accomplish great things for God. We have talked about gifts from God before, and personally I think having the power to make a difference is one of the great gifts from God. The next time you are observing power in action, even the power of nature, pause and think about all you could do with your skills, your knowledge, your resources, and your faith. The trick to power is recognizing when you have it, then using it the way God wants it to be used. Have you used your power lately?

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda