Week 3 Scripture: Galatians 2:1-10
I drive two hours to Pasadena twice
(sometimes three times) a week for school. On those drives I encounter two or
three “speed traps” set in place by the CHP. On a typical drive I will see
three people pulled off to the side of the road and getting tickets for
speeding. Often, the CHP will hide behind large mountains, laid out between the
Grapevine and Santa Clarita, and at the bottom of very steep hills. It is
obvious that their intention is to catch people while they may not be watching
their speed carefully enough. In my first few weeks when I started school in
Pasadena, I found myself not paying close attention to my speed coming off of a
steep hill and was caught in a “speed trap.” The officer clocked me going
around 85mph in a 70mph zone. My ticket was over $450! I was enraged; I felt
betrayed and tricked by the people I thought were supposed to protect me. An
honest accident had resulted in a huge loss for me, and more importantly my
family. This incident only furthered my adolescent rebellion that believed
authority was only out to get me. This generation of young people is inclined
to feelings not unlike my own. The trust level towards authority figures, such
as parents, police officers and military, teachers, and even bosses is at a new
low. One can simply go to YouTube, for example, and see the masses of videos
capturing cops and politicians abusing their appointed posts. The same trend
has carried into the church. Skepticism of church institutions and authorities
is stained by the consistent failings of ministers—from heinous sex scandals to
abuses of church funds for personal gain. The church body, and the outside
world, is skeptical of the modern-day pastor and priest; the confidence in
their integrity is lost, and at best always questioned.
Throughout
Paul’s letter, Paul has had to defend himself against the false accusations of
the “opponents” in Galatia. The opponents were accusing Paul of taking the
message of Jerusalem (the message given to the twelve Apostles of Jesus) and
changing it to entice more converts. These opponents argued that Paul’s message
was not as valid or authoritative as those in Jerusalem since they were direct
disciples of Jesus. Paul, in this current discourse with his church in Galatia,
argues that he had previously met with “influential leaders” of Jerusalem—Paul
later calls this group “pillars,” and names them as James, Cephas (Peter), and
John—and that they approved of his message. It is quite shocking how Paul deals
with those who are the leaders within the Jerusalem church. In chapter one,
Paul goes through painstaking hurdles to separate himself from the accusations
that he learned his gospel from Peter, and then twisted it to make it his own. He
then, in chapter two, admits that he met with the Jerusalem leaders, years’
prior, in order to receive approval of the gospel he was teaching to the
Gentiles. His aim was to make sure that he would not “be running or had not run
in vain.” Imagine if during his interaction with the Jerusalem church, they denied
his gospel. Every convert Paul had labored over, his preaching the gospel, and
helping people change their lives would have been invalidated and for nothing.
Paul, although not uncertain about the validity of his gospel, chooses to
recognize the authority invested in the church at Jerusalem. At the same time,
Paul is neither willing to bow down in full conformity nor is does he reject
authority in others. The way Paul deals with this issue of authority is telling
in that he is neither rebellious nor robotic. Proper authority should always be
navigated under a framework of love, respect, and honor. God is our ultimate
authority, and it is God who has appointed leaders in the church, for the
benefit of the church. And although, for many of us, examples/experiences of
bad leaders have tarnished the name of leadership, I would encourage each of us
to take a step back from our hurts and recognize that the purpose of authority
is ultimately for freedom of all (Ephesians 4:11-16). We must learn not to
“throw the baby out with the bath water.” In other words, give church
leadership and authority a chance even if you’ve been hurt in the past…. not
all leaders are terrible, but they are certainly all human.
Questions To Ponder:
1.
Do you find yourself skeptical of authority in
general? Why?
2.
Do you find yourself immediately shut off to the
idea church authority / leadership? Why?
3.
Who do you trust? Why? How could these qualities
be implemented in the church to bring more trust in leadership?
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