Alternative Routes, Part Four

In this post:

• Watch this message
• Five Devo by Stevo (5-day devotional based on this message)
• Full transcript of this message

Watch this message:

Full Transcript

Powerlessness: The Third P of Missional Living

The last couple weeks we've been talking about alternative routes and along with that we've kind of talked about proximity and presence. If we have the diagram up—I can't see in the back—yeah, we do. We've talked about proximity and how we're in proximity with a lot of people all the time, and so that's why that's at the top of that trapezoid there. It's the widest area. We've just got a lot of people that we kind of cross paths with throughout our day at work, at school, everywhere we go.

And we talked about having presence with people, having real meaningful presence, and there's fewer of those. We can't have presence with everybody that's in proximity with us because presence takes time and energy and investment in people, investment in relationships. But we've been challenging each other to find one or two or three people that we can begin to move towards proximity and begin to form some real presence, being present in their lives.

And we do that because we are a people with a mission. As a church we've been given a mission to make disciples, to make Christlike disciples. So we take that and see where we're in proximity with people, and choose your biblical metaphor—we see ourselves as a city on a hill, or see ourselves as a lighthouse, or see ourselves as preserving salt. There's metaphors all over the Bible for how we are supposed to do that. But we are disciple-making people, and it starts simply by seeing the people around us and realizing they're there. Then beginning to see the opportunities that are around us all the time to do more than just give a nod or a wave, but to begin to try to connect, give a word of encouragement, something that can lead to a deeper connection. This is what we mean by presence.

And more importantly, because we are people in mission, it's not just doing those things in the church with the people we know and the people we love and the people who are more or less like us. It's important to come and fellowship and be encouraged and strengthened in this time, but being a people in mission also means we go outside the walls of the church into all those places where we have proximity with people and do the same thing with people that we don't know yet, maybe the people that we don't love yet, and with people who aren't all that much like us and maybe never will be. But that's who we are called to be as the church.

And that's why we're talking about these four P's of missional living. We've got proximity, we've got presence, and today is a difficult one. It's not a word we like to use a lot, but today's P is powerlessness. And we all go, "Ooh, I don't like that word," right? It's not a very American word, right? Powerlessness. It's not a very cultural word in most places around the world.

In the next few minutes, I'm going to share what I mean by that. But before I start, I want to be clear that when we're talking about powerlessness, I'm not at all suggesting that you put yourself into or you remain in relationships that are abusive or hurtful. If you're in a situation like that, find someone you trust, get out. That's not what we're talking about today when we're talking about powerlessness. It's not allowing yourself to be in those situations. But what we are talking about is the example that Jesus sets for us, and we'll get to that in a moment here.

I was doing some research, looking at power, and we see it all over the world, in our own nation. The Roman philosopher Seneca said, "The most powerful person is he who has himself in his own power." That means the person who has self-control, the person who whose power isn't just for others but also controls themselves as well. That's a pretty good quote. And then Plato—we all think we know that name, right?—he said that only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it. That's a good one. Only those who don't really want the power, they're the ones who should probably have it. If only our world would live by that rule, right? It might be a very different place.

The late great Margaret Thatcher said this: "Power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." That's a good one too. If you have to tell people how great you are, you're probably not that great, right? If you have to tell people how powerful you are... yeah. And then we all know—well, there's a guy named Robert Ingersoll who said that most people can bear adversity, but if you wish to know what a person really is, give them some power. Then you'll see the true colors come out.

Uncle Ben—know where Uncle Ben's from? Spider-Man. Anybody? "With great power comes great responsibility." It's all throughout that movie. And then finally, every homeowner and every parent everywhere for all times: "With great power comes a great electricity bill. Turn the lights off." Right? Why do you leave the lights on?

Power, though—it's this thing that's all around us, and we see it all throughout, permeating our culture, our country, our families. But then we see Jesus. In the passage that Lee read a moment ago, Jesus, in his strategy for victory, was powerlessness. Powerlessness.

All four gospels share the version of this meal that Jesus shared with his friends on that night he was arrested. The disciples had been sent ahead to find a place, and they found an upper room. They must have used ancient Airbnb or something, or VRBO. I don't know. They found a place, they rented it, they all met there.

Now you have to realize that in the ancient world, the streets of a city were dusty and dirty. Most of us don't really ever experience truly dirty feet. Maybe in the summer sometimes, but we wear socks and shoes, and our feet stay pretty clean—stinky maybe, but fairly clean. In the ancient world, streets were dirty and dusty, and an aromatic concoction of dirt and sweat and rainwater. And you know, there's animals around, so you can figure that out. And even in days before sewer systems and public toilets, you can figure that one out too. Feet get dirty. You're walking around, feet get dirty.

So whenever you went into a place—and as the disciples are gathering here—the first order of business, you got to wash your feet. Because we also think maybe they sat at a table and chairs, and they could kind of hide their feet under the chair. This is not a dining room table situation. There might have been a low table where the food was, but they're probably sitting on the floor or maybe on pillows, and their feet are lounged towards the middle of the room, or maybe like you do sit sometimes with your feet to the side, invading your neighbor's territory. Right? You can imagine why clean feet, especially at a meal time, might be important, right, given the situation.

And so in that situation, the job of washing feet was a low job. It was a dirty job. It was reserved for the slaves. Not only that, it's probably reserved for the Gentile slaves so they didn't have to worry about ceremonial uncleanliness and all those sorts of things that come with touching dirty feet. And it's a demeaning job. It's the kind of job that could probably make your stomach turn sometimes.

So we can understand why, when Jesus takes the towel and grabs the bucket and is ready to wash his disciples' feet, we can understand why there might be a protest, right? He's the teacher, he's the rabbi. They, at that point, at least some of them already believed he was the Son of God. He can't wash our feet. This is not his job. This is not what he should be doing. We'll go, we'll find someone who can do this, but not you, Jesus.

But we see Jesus laying aside not only his rights and his authority and his position, his reputation, but he's even laying aside his cleanliness under the law, and he's laying aside his power. It's the teacher kneeling down before his students, which again should not be done in that culture, and even now we struggle with these things. It's Jesus extending hospitality and generosity to his friends, and he's demonstrating the kind of love that his followers are to have, including us today.

And if you know the story, you know that Jesus did this not just for the disciples you know that he was on good terms with. He did it for Judas. He washed Judas's feet. He did it for Peter, who just a few hours from then was going to completely deny even knowing him. He did it for all the others too, who scripture tells us would also flee and turn their backs on him. But Jesus is here kneeling down, washing their feet.

And we see Peter, of course: "No way," says Peter. "You're not washing my feet. This is not right. This is not appropriate." And he's not just being polite. You know, in Asia, there's a politeness. You ask someone, they say, "Oh no, no, no." Ask again. "No, no, no." Ask again. "No, no, no." Ask one more time. "Oh sure." That's not what's going on here. He's like, "No." This is an outright rejection of to Peter what seemed completely inappropriate, completely out of order, completely against everything that was right and good and proper.

Jesus is taking an alternate route here, as we've used the phrase. He's doing things in a different way. He's living and he's showing leadership, and he's guiding his friends, his disciples, in a way that is different than what is expected, by what's considered proper, by what would be considered the appropriate way to do things. And we can see his disciples are really uncomfortable, aren't they? They're really uncomfortable with this radical kind of humility and this radical kind of compassion and these things that Jesus is doing that don't match with the way things are supposed to be.

In our culture that values power and prestige and reputation and all kinds of rights that everyone has, humility like this seems really out of place, doesn't it? Gentleness, like what we see in Jesus, just doesn't seem to fit. Seems weak. And powerlessness seems, well, it's not that desirable, is it, culturally speaking? And yet here we see Jesus telling us to do the same thing, to do to others what I have done for you.

We talk about the Golden Rule like, "Do for others what they have done to you." There's some loopholes there, right? When my kids were little, you know, like, "He hit me, so now I'm free, right? I get to haul off, hit him, right?" You know, no, not quite. That's not quite how that works. Or whatever they did to me, then I—that's not it. But if we replace that and say, "Do to others what Jesus did for you," kind of remove all those loopholes, don't we? "Do for others what Jesus has done." We don't have very many excuses.

In John 13:15, Jesus says, "I have given you this example. Here it is. I did it. Y'all saw it. Now do as I have done for you." And this isn't just about washing feet. He's not saying, "Wash people's feet, otherwise you can treat them horribly." It's not about washing feet. It's about humble service and sacrifice for the good of others. And whether that's washing feet or whatever else that might be, he's not—and again, he's not suggesting that we put ourselves in abusive situations or dangerous situations that we could and should get out of. But I think he is suggesting that our decision to show Christlike love doesn't depend on the other person. It's not whether or not the other person is worthy or not, and we judge whether they deserve it or not. The worthiness is in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is worthy, and because he did this for us, we then do this for others.

And so that evening, we know the scene shifts to the Garden. Jesus is praying. He's praying, "Lord, if there's another way, take this cup. I don't want to do this." But in the end, "It's not what I want," he says to the Father, "but what you want, Lord. It's not my will, it's your will, Father." It's powerlessness. Giving up what was rightfully his. It's intentional, purposeful powerlessness for the sake of something else, for the sake of something greater, a greater goal, a greater purpose in mind.

And then we see Jesus was arrested, and we see what happens. And scripture tells us in Matthew 25:56 that all the disciples left him. They all fled. Wasn't just Judas. It wasn't just Peter. They all left. And he was alone. These men who had walked with Jesus for three years, these men who had seen the miracles, they had heard the teachings, they had seen and witnessed all that happened, and they scatter in fear.

How many times have we done that, right? We've known, we believed, but yet in the moment, sometimes we just can't get it right. And we see Peter, the one that Jesus called "the rock," long before Dwayne Johnson—he's a fake rock. Peter the rock, the one that Jesus said, "I'm going to build my church on you," and he denies even knowing Jesus. He denies that he has any connection to him. And then the rooster crows, right? And he remembers the words of Jesus. And scripture tells us he went out and ugly cried.

Ever seen a grown man, tough guy, go out and ugly cry? It's ugly, right? I mean, the face is all distorted, and I mean, this is not just, "Oh yeah, I guess I kind of messed that up." I mean, he's full-on sobbing, gut-wrenching, wailing, sobbing of a man completely broken, a man who realizes what he's done, a man who realizes the mistake he's made and what Jesus has done for him. And he's completely broken.

And after his arrest, they take him to the high priest. We know that and all that goes on. And as I read this story, I'm reminded of a song. I remember my dad singing it in church. Went something like this: "He could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set him free. He could have called 10,000 angels, but he died alone for you and me." It's intentional, purposeful powerlessness for the sake of something much greater, for the sake of a goal and a purpose that was far bigger than just that moment.

And we see this all throughout scripture. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" I don't know. I struggle to understand how that works sometimes, right? "Power—his power is made perfect in my weakness." And therefore he says, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Powerlessness.

1 Corinthians 1:27: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." Powerlessness.

John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for another." To sacrifice for another. To do what's best for the other, even at the cost—personal cost. Powerlessness.

And so we come back to our diagram here. Here we go. What does this have to do with our diagram? You might be asking. Powerlessness is the Christlike posture that we take when we're dealing with those we are in proximity with. It's the Christlike posture we take when we're dealing with those that we're trying to develop presence with. Powerlessness is how we serve the people that we're in proximity with. It's how we serve the people that we're being present with.

Powerlessness is getting down to their level so we can see eye to eye. It's becoming a learner. It's serving others. It's lowering ourselves to meet the needs of those around us. Sometimes it's an intentional posture of humility, letting go of ourselves for the sake of others, for the purpose of something greater than me, for the purpose of something far beyond just what I can do and what I can accomplish.

Here's some practical examples of how we might practice powerlessness in our lives. It's like sitting down on the floor to play with kids. We lower ourselves down to a level where we can look eye to eye, and we don't start talking about calculus or our day at work. We play Legos with them, right? We do what they want to do. We talk at their level. We play at their level. We can apply that to all parts of our lives.

It's listening and learning before reacting, making sure I understand, making sure I know all that can be known about this. It's learning someone else's language and someone else's traditions so that I can know where they're coming from and why they're saying or doing the things that they're saying or doing.

You know, it's asking the neighborhood boys to come to your house and help you fix a broken down Vespa. I knew a missionary who did that. He bought an old broken down Vespa. He didn't care about the Vespa—it's a little motorbike—but he wanted the kids to come and teach him how to fix it. He didn't care if it ever got fixed. It was about the connection with these young men that he was trying to develop.

It's asking someone you don't agree with: "Help me understand your perspective" when you're in a disagreement or when you don't agree about something. It's a skilled professional serving and doing things outside of their area of expertise just because there's a need and there's an opportunity. It's admitting mistakes. That's also not a very American thing to do, is it? Admitting mistakes and asking for help. Man, right? Asking for help.

It's setting aside assumptions and prejudices and preconceived notions in order to understand someone else's perspective. It's building friendship just for the sake of friendship, not as a project, not because you're hoping to get something out of them, but because they're human beings made in the image of God, and they need a friend.

Powerlessness is putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves for a purpose bigger than ourselves, purpose bigger than me, for a kingdom purpose, for a God-sized mission that we have been given.

Now let's go back to Peter and Judas for just a minute here. Judas betrayed Jesus. I mean, literally sold him for 30 pieces of silver, right? And as soon as Jesus is arrested and Judas sees what's going on, he is gripped with remorse. Scripture tells us, I mean, he is seized with remorse (Matthew 27:3-5), and he ends up taking his own life. He never had a chance to reunite with Jesus.

Can you imagine, just for a moment, what might have happened if Jesus and Judas had had a chance to reconnect after the resurrection? What do you think might have happened? We don't know, of course, but I think it might have been an epic story of reconciliation, restoration, forgiveness. But he never had the chance, did he?

And then there's Peter. Peter, you know, Peter also turned his back, denied knowing Jesus. Jesus had told him it was going to happen. "This is what you're going to do, Peter." And Peter says, "No way. Even if I have to die with you, I will never leave you," Peter tells him. And then a couple hours later, "I don't know him. I've never seen him. I'm no..." And then he realizes what has happened. But Jesus is crucified, and so Peter assumes his time with Jesus is done. The story is done. This great adventure with Jesus, it's over.

So he goes back to the fishing boat, right? He does what most of us do when our dreams crumble. He goes back to what's familiar, and he goes back to the fishing boats that represented all that he left to follow Jesus. And now they become his refuge in his time of loss. Back to the familiar. He tells the others, "I'm going fishing. I don't know what else to do." And they join him, and they fish all night, and they don't catch anything.

And the next morning they see a figure on the beach, a familiar figure. And he calls out—that person on the beach calls out, "Have you caught anything to eat yet?" "No." And then Peter realizes who it is—Jesus Christ risen from the dead. He jumps into the water. The scripture tells us he swam 100 yards—football field—all the way to Jesus. He gets to the shore, and they reconnect. They reunite. They eat together. And Jesus spends time again with the rock, restoring his place, restoring his mission, restoring his God-sized purpose. The kind of thing we kind of wish Judas might have had the opportunity to have.

And so we're talking about proximity and presence and a posture of powerlessness. And the reason why is because of Judas and Peter. Judas and Peter are kind of the two extremes here. They both turned from Jesus, as most of us—all of us have at some point in our lives. Maybe we are right now in the midst of something like that. But only one of them had the opportunity to reconnect with Jesus.

You know which one are you? First of all, hopefully since you're here, you are one that had that opportunity to come back and look Jesus again in the face and be restored and forgiven. The question, though, is what are you willing to do? What are we willing to do as a church, as families, as people? What are we willing to do to help the Judases around us have that opportunity to reconnect with Jesus?

There's lots of them around us, aren't there? Lots who have turned their back. Lots who never knew. Are we willing to see the people around us as either a Peter or Judas? And what are we willing to do to help them come back to Jesus? Are we willing to... what are we willing to do to seek meaningful ways to be present in people's lives? What are we willing to do to take a posture of powerlessness in our lives?

Because here's what Jesus said to end this: Jesus said that the least in the kingdom of God, the lowest in the kingdom of God, those in the kingdom of God who have nothing, will be the greatest. Those who lose their lives will gain their lives. Those who let go of themselves will gain everything that Jesus has to offer. That's an amazing promise, isn't it? If we'll just let go of ourselves, we can have all that Jesus has promised and more.

And it's an intentional, purposeful posture of powerlessness, serving others, making ourselves available, being willing to do the dirty work of washing feet—either literally or metaphorically, whichever way that comes—and saying, "Lord, just use me. Use me. Put me in places where I can serve others and let your face be seen." It's an intentional, purposeful posture of powerlessness for the sake of something greater than ourselves. Because God's plan is far more than just me. It's way beyond just me. It's God's purpose and plan is for this church, but it's way beyond just this church.

Are we, am I, are you, are we willing to seek proximity and presence and a posture of powerlessness for the sake of those around us so that God's glory might be shown, that lives might be transformed in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord?