Year A
Season after Pentecost
Proper 26 (31)
Contextual Background:
Jesus warns against religious leaders who burden others but do not practice what they teach. He calls his disciples to humility: “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Within the Jewish Tradition:
Prophets like Isaiah and Micah condemned leaders who exploited the people while appearing pious. True greatness was serving God through justice and humility.
The Challenge Then:
The challenge was resisting religious authority that used power for self-gain.
The Challenge Now:
Religious authority can still be twisted into domination and image-making. Jesus calls leaders to servanthood, fostering an ordering of community based on mutuality.
Again, we often read a kind of Antisemitism into this passage. The reality is that the Jewish tradition offered a robust self-critique. This is why there are many voices and traditions contained in the Hebrew Scripture. This should be praised, not used to dehumanize our Jewish neighbors. When we sin in this way, we actually sow the seeds for our own hypocracy. How we tell the origin story of our tradition often creates a vulnerability for our desire to be an exclusive in-group.
Implications for Leaders & Communities:
- Leaders: model humility, integrity, and service.
- Communities: resist systems that glorify power and image without justice.
What I Am Learning:
Authority in God’s reign is service, not domination.
The Question I’m Sitting With:
Am I more concerned with looking faithful than with serving faithfully?
