Power is a Drug

These last couple of months I’ve been watching the presidential race fairly closely. I’ve seen each side take a swing at the other. I’ve seen assassination attempts, bad slogans, lawsuits, a third candidate being told they can’t be on ballots, and even rapper Lil’ John performing at the DNC. All of this is done with one thing in mind….power. There’s a reason why big companies and billionaires are pouring money into these campaigns. They want their slice of the pie. When you put millions of dollars into the campaign of someone, you want a say in what’s being done. This has been the case for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. People with money and influence use those things to get into the ear and policy of those in leadership. It’s the reason why senators and state representatives can become millionaires on a $200,000 salary. Many people will do whatever they can to gain power. Unfortunately, we’ve all heard the saying, “Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When power is the goal, there’s never enough to satisfy.

I genuinely believe that most politicians don’t start off like this. I really think that most are starting at their local level and want to see positive policies that will affect their community in the best way possible. Local elections in many towns and cities across the U.S. don’t even have party affiliation. They’re just electing who they think is the best candidate. What ends up happening for the mayors and other elected officials with magnetic personalities and strong mic skills is that they garner the attention of the parties. They are encouraged to run for state representative. During that process, young politicians are given politics 101. They start to see the inner workings of what is happening. At this point, the people who really do care about policies tend to pull out and go back to their local governments or just quit politics as a whole. They see the corruption and don’t want to be a part of it. Those who desire power, money, and fame, however, go all in at this point and aim for higher offices. There are still some who long to do what’s best for the people, but most are there for themselves, and thus begins the long slide down the slippery slope of politics taking us to where we are today. This is nothing new, though.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”
Matthew 20:20–25

The two disciples here are James and John. Even though they had been living and traveling and observing Jesus’ ministry, they still had their sights set on power. Jesus compares this with the rulers of that day who hold their authority over their people’s heads and flaunt it. The worst part about this is that the other disciples heard it and were immediately frustrated by the audacity of this mother’s request. This is one of satan’s favorite tools to destroy the people of God. He uses the guise of power to divide people. 

Here’s the funny thing about power. In order to satisfy that hunger, you have to have more than the others around you. Otherwise, you don’t really have power, because others don’t have to bow to you. When you put two power-hungry people in a room together, they typically won’t get along or they’ll simply fake it. When power is the goal, you are constantly sizing up your competition in every situation. Do they have my influence? Are they in better shape than me? What does their paycheck look like? Is their wife prettier than mine? In essence, you become a slave to power. The very thing you want the most becomes the thing that owns you. When power is the goal, you will never be satisfied. When power is the goal, nothing will truly give you happiness. When power is the goal, there’s no room for Christ. Just before James and John’s mother made her request to Jesus, He had just had an encounter with a man who couldn’t let go of his financial power.

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
 Matthew 19:16–22

To genuinely follow after Christ, we can’t allow ourselves to be chained down by things in this world. This rich young man that Jesus was talking to NEEDED his money in the same way that the powerful NEED their power. This isn’t how Jesus was instructing his disciples to live. They were to be different. They couldn’t allow the things of this world to corrupt them, especially power. Jesus finished up the section of scripture we started with in Matthew 20 by saying…

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25–28

Jesus had absolute power, but he came in humility to serve. This is the opposite of what our world teaches us, but it’s what we need a lot more of. As disciples, we need to push aside our need for power and focus more on serving the powerless. Power is a drug and Satan is the pusher. Let’s not fall into addiction and, instead, focus on serving others.