Cheryl Schatz

You said:

Can it be “having authority” rather than “taking authority”?

I think it has to be more than “having” authority. We could substitute “exercising authority” rather than “taking authority” but merely “having” an authority without the use of such an authority is quite meaningless.

Could it be that he tells them how to exercise authority by saying that it needs to be in totally the opposite way to what the world does- through “humble, sacrificial, loving service”- and not “lording it over”.
He is either saying “there is no authority” or He is saying “there is authority, but it is exercised through servanthood.” Do authority and servanthood need to be opposites in the kingdom of God? They are in the world, but God’s Kingdom is not of this world.

That is a great question, Craig!

First of all, I think that we can agree that the simple meaning of what Jesus said can be that the disciples were not to take authority over the others but instead act as servants. The question that you are asking is whether Jesus’ admonish to be a servant could possibly mean that they were to take authority or exercise authority with a humble attitude. I don’t see how we could fit the two together.

Let’s look at Jesus’ example of being a servant to the disciples. He put on a servant’s attire with a towel and took a bowl and stooped down to wash their feet. How would one exercise authority in such a position? Did Jesus exercise authority when he was acting as a servant washing their feet? I don’t see any evidence of His exercising authority. Jesus did not lovingly force the disciples to accept His foot-washing. He did not authoritatively command them to come to Him. No, instead he stooped down to come to them and to serve them. The place of exercising authority just does not work on one’s knees. This is the place of humble servanthood and just as in the world, so in the church – a servant has no authority over the one that he serves.

If this is not true, then I would like to see how someone can show how authority is exercised as a humble servant in his act of service. Thoughts?