All Power Corrupts

“Then they came to Capernaum, and when [Jesus] was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.” (Mark 9:33-34).

It seems almost comical that a conversation about “who is the greatest” could be taking place amongst those who were Jesus closest companions, yet has this not been the whole history of the church?

It is the great temptation. It was the first temptation (Genesis 3:5). It was Jesus’ final temptation (Matthew 4:9). Psychologist, Alfred Adler, believed it to be the primary force motivating almost all human behaviour. We want to be significant! 

“Seek you great things for yourself? Seek them not”, said the Prophet Jeremiah to his sidekick, Baruch (Jeremiah 45:5). Even if Adler overstated the case, that’s tough! We all want to be people who matter, though when we see how this drive for greatness plays out on the global stage, we understand why it must be constrained.

The problem isn’t powerless people yearning for agency. It’s the already powerful, grasping for more and more power. The lust for power is never satisfied. It seems to feed on itself. As Lord Acton put it, “All power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

I am scared about the future. I’m not really scared for myself but for my children and for their children, and for your children. I look at these power-hungry influencers who seem to be driving us towards self-annihilation. What is motivating them? It’s not the welfare of their own people. It’s their lust for power.

We want to be great. We want our countries to be great. We want our company, our church, and our legacy to be great. As with Jesus’ own, we want to be the greatest.

“[Jesus] sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:35-37)

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday. A big thank you to Karyn Hemming and Andrew Madry for joining me on the panel. You’ll find a couple of choice short extracts from our Bible Banter below. As per usual, you can see the rest on our Sunday Eucharist Instagram page.