Day Nine

When I say that it’s all about me, am I not really saying that it’s about the power I have. Isn’t power what everybody wants? David Allen writes, “The sense of not having control is the greatest human fear.” Isn’t authority all about exercising power? The creeds of the Church took their current form centuries after Jesus walked the earth, but they universally proclaim Jesus’ authority over the gates of heaven and hell. They also make a point of proclaiming Jesus to be the Godhead so that there’s a smooth transition of power: God to Son, Son to Holy Ghost, and Holy Ghost to Church. While this paradigm is good for the Church it isn’t the most beneficial to me personally. I end up losing my personal power to the Church.

Again, one of Jesus’ mystifying characteristics was his apparent lack of interest in personal power. The gospel accounts relate that the disciples were both confounded and frustrated by their Master’s failure to take control, most especially over the events of the Passion (Holy Week). Not only were his closest followers disappointed with this seeming shortcoming, but it raised question in the general population’s mind as to whether or not this meek and humble personality really qualified as the much anticipated Messiah (again, this claim seems to have been made for Jesus rather than by him). The ultimate submission to crucifixion immediately raised questions about Jesus’ power and authority that had to be explained in some other way.

The explanation articulated early on by Paul quickly developed into the “official” position of the early Church, and subsequently as the hallmark of Christianity. Jesus’ death upon the Cross was the preordained divine plan for supplying the power to provide salvation for sinful humankind. This notion further turned into the aspect of personal salvation that could not be universally accessed, instead being available only to a select few. Whether or not these chosen were themselves preordained for salvation—the elect—soon became another issue for debate in the emerging Church. So now I am in a quandary. Does Jesus really have the power to save me, or has the Church simply said that he does?