Pastor Note #138: The Way of Jesus: Selfless Service OR Coercion and Domination?

The Way of Jesus: Selfless Service OR Coercion and Domination?

The Church of Jesus Christ in America has to decide whether it will embrace coercion as a tool of mission and ministry or not.  This decision is not a new one for Christians.  Throughout our history, we have frequently embraced a love affair with coercion and the domination of others.  Coercive and violent power was a hallmark of much of medieval European Christianity, bloody in sword and stake.  Coercive and violent power was a primary tool for most Christians involved in the European conquest of the Americas.  Throughout history, Christians have perversely often sought to dominate others and coercively impose their will on them.

Much of current American Christianity looks lustfully toward the levers of coercive governmental power as a means of imposing its will on others.  This lust for coercive power is not the province of one part of the political spectrum among Christians.  Today, Christians who have baptized right-wing political policies rejoice that perhaps now they have gained access to the ability to impose their will on others, while Christians who have baptized left-wing political policies lament that perhaps now they have lost their access to the ability to impose their will on others.

Yet, the truth is that any who believe that coercion can accomplish the kingdom of God have sold their soul and have abandoned Jesus.  Coercive power is poison to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To seek coercive power is to part ways with Jesus.  So, the question before the Church of Jesus Christ in America today is, “Will we seek Jesus?  Or will we seek coercive power?  Will we seek to dominate those around us?”

In the gospel of Matthew, we find a very difficult Greek word on the lips of Jesus, a word that he takes as definitive of the core of his identity—see Matthew 11:28-30.  The Greek word is praus.  In Matthew 11:29, Jesus calls himself praus.  There really is no English word that is a satisfactory translation of this Greek word.  Older translations use the word “meek” to bring praus into English.  In secular Greek contexts of Jesus day, praus did mean pretty much what the English word “meek” means.  In English, “meek” means a willingness to submit to the domination of others, as did praus in ancient Greek.  (The noun form of the word is prautes—“meekness”.)

Clearly, Jesus was never submissive to the domination of others.  So, what then are we to make of the fact that Jesus and Paul (2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:23 & 6:1; Eph. 4:2; Col 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:25; Titus 3:2) and James (Jas. 1:21 & 3:13) and Peter (1 Peter 3:4 & 3:16)—all of these place this word at the heart of who Jesus is and of how his true followers are to conduct their lives and their mission?

As with so many other things, Jesus has taken this Greek word and turned it upside down and inside out.  For Jesus and the other New Testament writers, prautes does not mean a willingness to be dominated but rather a refusal to seek to dominate others.  So then, to faithfully follow our praus Lord, Christians must abandon all desires to exert domination over others.

If not coercion and domination, then what is the alternative?  Jesus is very clear about that:
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

If you are truly a follower of Jesus, if you want to be great, if greatness is your aim, then there is only one path for you, self-sacrificing service.  Ours is not to “lord it” over anyone.  Ours can only be a life of love, without coercion or domination.  Just loving service.

That is the choice that lies before the Church of Jesus Christ in America today.  Will we succumb to the seduction of coercion and domination of others?  Or will we follow Jesus in loving, self-sacrificing service?  Will our neighbors see our praus Lord in us or not?  We’ll have to choose.

© Gary A. Chorpenning 2024