This has been an interesting week in our household
My two boys are enrolled in One Wild Life Learning Community for school
They began this school group last year and continue this year
This week their two teachers have been home recovering from covid
All of the kids have remained healthy, and I’ve had an up-close opportunity to observe their learning this week
One Wild Life promotes student-led
And place-based modes of learning
One Wild Life uplifts and respects the kids’ ideas
One Wild Life focuses on discovering and cultivating one’s passion
This week I’ve had seven kids age 9 – 14 continuing their learning in my basement
They connect with their teachers on zoom a few times per day
But mostly, amazingly, they are the drivers of their learning
I’ve served as the adult upstairs if I’m needed,
But I’m not
Except as a privileged witness to this incredible community
Little gems drift up from the basement throughout my day
Celebrations like “We’re so smart!”
Support like “Oh, here, I can help with that!”
And words of encouragement like “Don’t worry, you got this!”
Warm my heart
I’m stunned by the silence of these kids working diligently on the next step along their learning path
As I continue my own learning in my Masters of Divinity program upstairs
I’m in awe of the parallel between their self-driven learning and mine
They are young
They are so very capable
They can do hard things
They are empowered to learn… and grow… and thrive…
Outside of the traditional systems and structures of authority \ \
It’s within this heartwarming week that I reflect on today’s Gospel encounter between Jesus and Pilate
This encounter is all about
Authority \ \ Identity \ \ and Power \ \
Brene Brown deeply explores dynamics of power in Dare to Lead
She distinguishes between
Power over – which is quite a traditional hierarchical top-down power dynamic
And Power with – which is collective power, power that is empathy-driven and shared
Power-with is collaborative
Power-with leadership looks like service to others
One Wild Life Learning Community is an in-my-face example of power-with this week
This empowerment didn’t occur just on Monday as the kids gathered independently
This empowerment has been cultivated throughout their time together,
with the teachers creating space and releasing control to the kids
growing their confidence in their ability to drive their own learning \ \
As I engage the Gospel and consider Jesus Christ the King
I observe that God is a power-with God
God refuses to participate in power-over dynamics
God denies that power is finite, and promotes power shared with all
God will not use fear as a tool to exercise power-over others
God refuses violence to achieve power
Let’s explore the context of this Gospel reading and identify how power is used
This encounter occurs in the time just preceding the Jewish Passover
The Jewish leaders, specifically the high priestly authorities Annas and Caiaphas,
have Jesus arrested and questioned about his teaching – exerting power over Jesus
Jesus responds that he’s done everything in public,
And questions the intent behind this arrest and interrogation – an attempt to balance power between them
The nearby police strike him in the face – reinforcing the power-over dynamic between the high priest and Jesus
Jesus is then taken from the high priests to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea
Pilate’s there, in Jerusalem, to keep Roman order during the time of Jewish Passover
Pilate is not Jewish, but a gentile
This collaboration between the Jewish authorities and the Roman governor builds power over Jesus
This next interaction is fascinating
There has been much cultural tension between the Jewish authorities and the gentile Roman rulers as they vie for power over one another
Pilate initially responds that the Jewish authorities should take care of their own business
and judge Jesus according to Jewish law, however,
Roman rulers didn’t allow Jewish authorities to carry out death penalties
And so the Jewish authorities submit to Roman rule by requesting Pilate’s support
This seems to further Roman leadership’s power-over Jewish leadership as they acknowledge Pilate’s authority
Through Pilate’s dealing with Jesus, the Jews recognize the Roman emperor as their king
Can you feel the tension within this power struggle?
This brings us to the scene we hear about today where Pilate questions Jesus
The hierarchy of power-over kingship is interwoven throughout this entire story,
From the arrest of Jesus by the Jewish authorities
Through the questioning by the high priest
To turning Jesus over to the governor, Pilate
And now Pilate’s questioning of Jesus
The Roman rulers didn’t necessarily think of Jesus as a threat as he compassionately went around healing and preaching throughout the region.
But now the leaders within Jesus own religious group are alarmed
They find his behavior – and perhaps his power – out of the ordinary
This alarms the Roman empire because they’re afraid of the Jewish God
Jesus was perceived as a threat by the empire because
his ministry served as a sign of God’s inbreaking kingdom
God’s action within the world had a reputation,
and God’s kingdom didn’t side with power-over empire dynamics
God’s power is with the marginalized and strangers of the land who are oppressed by the system
Remember what happened with Pharoah and Moses in Egypt?
So King Herod and Governor Pilate worried about the thinness of their thread of power-over the people
They worried about the end of their ability to oppress and exploit people within their kingdom
They feared a time when the nobodies could rise up in power against them
This is the context of Pilate’s question: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
And Jesus the Christ’s response:
“If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” (Jn 18:36)
Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world
Jesus followers don’t, and will not, fight
What kind of a king is this?
Jesus embodies the power of God that refuses power-over others
even others like Pilate, Herod and the high priests
Jesus the Christ is the kind of king that ushers in a different power dynamic
A power dynamic that is out of this world
A power that is with and for abundant life for all
“For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (Jn 18:37)
Jesus indicates that the incarnation is about to culminate within this time and space
The next question that Pilate asks is the question that remains for us:
“What is truth?” (Jn 18:38)
The truth is:
The power of God’s presence within humankind is about to be revealed through Jesus the Christ
This is a collaborative power that flows within and through all of God’s creation
The truth is
Within creation God designed humankind to not be alone
The truth is
God breathes power into creation through the Holy Spirit to co-create with God
The truth is
We worship God who chose to be enfleshed in human skin
As Jesus is headed toward crucifixion
The truth is
that the God we worship takes all of this authoritarian power
From the Jewish authorities
From the Roman empire
Into God’s self
God transforms and re-creates this power-over
Through the resurrection
Into power-with
The truth is
that Jesus the Christ, resurrected and made new
breathes into us, God’s followers,
This collaborative power of the Holy Spirit \ \
And sometimes the truth is too much to grasp
Sometimes the truth overwhelms
Sometimes the truth is diminished by the reality that we continue to live within a power-over society
Sometimes we forget the power we have
And I think back to the precious words that have drifted up from my basement this week
From these kids living One Wild Life
“Oh, here, I can help with that!”
“We’re so smart!”
“Don’t worry, you got this!”
And I am encouraged…
With Jesus as our teacher we are empowered
We are so very capable
We can do hard things
The Holy Spirit is with us as we learn… and grow… and thrive…
As we participate in, work toward, and even demand power-with systems
This is our inheritance,
This is our call
Amen.