‘Beloved,
do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does
good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. everyone has
testified favourably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We
also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true’.
Imitation is one of
the basic aspects of human life. In the early childhood we used to
imitate the mannerisms of our parents and as we grew up we got
influenced by the popular idols and peer groups. In the church also,
we may follow some leaders or peer groups. The use of power and
authority has always been a big issue from the early church onwards.
Therefore, it is very important to ask ourselves whom we are
imitating in executing the power and the authority of the church. And
also how we can re – present the image of Jesus in response to
challenges faced by the church in using its power and authority?
In this context,
John
gives
a clear understanding of what is to be imitated by a Christian
leader.
He
tells his co-worker Gaius to imitate good and not to imitate evil.
When we look into this letter we can see that John is clearly
distinguishing the good and evil through the tale of three men Gaius,
Diotrephes and Demetrius. Demetrius is portrayed as a faithful
servant whereas Diotrephes as an unlovely form of ecclesiastical
ambition and domination who always desired to put himself first.
Diotrephes made unjustified accusations against the elder John. He
refused to accept any travelling missionaries who were associated
with John and he did not allow other members to receive them. He even
expelled those members of the church who received them. It is in this
situation that John asks Gaius to imitate what is good and not the
evil in using the power and authority of the church. So I will
reflect upon two points based on the passage which has been read to
us.
The
Authority Rooted in Truth
John
here presents two models of leadership in which one imitates good and
the other evil. John is very particular about what is to be imitated.
According to John as mentioned, Diotrephes was someone who was not
to be imitated. John also says that who does evil has not seen God,
this implies that Diotrephes' understanding of good is not according
to God’s will. Rather he was blinded by his ego. John finds the
true imitator of good in Demetrius. John speaks well of Demetrius as
being testified for by the truth itself. And the truth according to
John is Jesus himself. This we can see in the Gospel according to St.
John Chapter 14:6, in which Jesus says, ‘ I am the way, truth and
life’. Thus, by imitating good means we are called to follow the
percepts and virtues shown by Jesus. Jesus has shown us the pastoral
model in which authority or power should be used to serve others. He
called himself a servant and taught his disciples that the greatest
in God’s kingdom must be servant to all. Jesus used his power only
for the good of the others and never for himself. In the same way we
have to avail ourselves for the others. As Jesus showed us, the
church leaders should become community builders and should not
disrupt unity of the church. The attraction towards power can deviate
most determined leaders from the true nature of Christian leadership.
It is not controlling the people but it is serving the people. Today
we can see that the hunger for power and prestige among the Christian
leaders are creating divisions within the church. It is also very
important to ask ourselves from where we should claim our source of
authority? Is it determined by some peer groups or the elite class
who always desire for their well-being? John, through his letter,
found that it is necessary to base our understanding of authority on
Jesus. In other words it is to say that we should acknowledge that
the authority of church is given by truth i.e. Jesus.
The
Authority Rooted in Creating Space
Christian authority
is a community and relational affair. In Christian ministry power and
authority should not be confined to an individual. Jesus gave his
disciples both power and authority. Jesus had given the authority to
his followers to cast out demons, heal the sick and to spread the
good news. The authority and power exercised by one should not hinder
the development of the other. It is very important that we should
create space for others. This space should not only be created among
the leaders but also it should give a space for those who are in
need. The interpersonal relations among the leaders and the people
should not get disturbed while using the power and the authority. So
it is very important to ask ourselves for whom we are creating space?
Are we creating space for the development of a particular group in
desire to inflate our egos? Jesus involved himself with people
without any discriminations and he is calling us to continue the same
process in which we should use our resources for the betterment of
others. He had a compassionate heart where he was willing to be with
the people in whatever conditions they were.
We will be able to
imitate Jesus only when we get unified with struggles and needs of
the community. The attitude of a servant is a way of life, where we
start to confront the truth as it is. Through serving others we are
called to find ourselves. Through responding to the needs of the
society we are also fighting with our own false ambitions of
exercising power. I
would like to conclude my sermon by quoting the lines of Augustine of
Hippo, ‘You have made us to be toward yourself, O Lord, and our
hearts are restless until they rest in you’.
Koshy Vaidyan
BD I
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