Cheryl Schatz

Craig @111
You said:

“Exercise authority” sounds fine. I may be wrong but “taking authority” may have some negative connotations that aren’t necessary to the point being made.

My apologies. I am so used to saying “taking authority” because I have asked many times where authority is given by God to the husband and neither Mark nor any other comp has show the giving of this authority in Scripture so my use of “taking” corresponds to exercising authority that has not been specifically given. I could well have just said “exercising authority”.

You said “I would like to see how someone can show how authority is exercised as a humble servant in his act of service. Thoughts?”
I remember that some don’t believe that parents have authority over children. My understanding at present is that they do. What do you think? A parent can exercise authority humbly, for the good of the child, and at great sacrificial cost to the parent.

I can grant this to you. While authority is not something that is specifically given to a parent, the parents are specifically given a responsibility over a child to temporarily look after a child, make decisions for the child until the child is mature enough to make their own decisions and to discipline a child during the years that he/she is coming to maturity. However is that what Jesus is talking about?

I do not believe that Jesus was specifically talking about parental “authority” when He said that it is not to be so “among you”.

Matthew 20:25–26 (NAS)
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

Here Jesus is talking about greatness in the body of Christ and among peers. Is Jesus saying that there is already an authority of one over another? No. With Jesus in their midst, no disciple had an authority over the other. Jesus said that it is (right now) not this way among His disciples and in the future whoever wishes to become great (the meaning is to be superior in importance) should strive to become great through being a servant to all.

Mark 10:44 (NAS)
44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

This was such an important matter that three of gospels quote Jesus’ words about the conduct of those who want to be great in the body of Christ. Instead of teaching them how to “exercise authority”, Jesus taught them that they had to become “like” the youngest…

Luke 22:26 (NAS)
26 “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

…and they should be be last of all.

Mark 9:35 (NAS)
35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

“Like the youngest” and “last of all” are not terms of “exercising authority”. They are terms of humility and love to view one’s importance in the privilege of being a slave to lift up and help the others because of the great value of the rest of the body.