6th Sunday of Luke
Scripture: Galatians 1:11-19
Nutshell
We all want position and power, so we seek the favor of people who can give us those things.
We want these things because we believe that they can fill our desire for security in life. We also believe that we can achieve a sort of permanence—continue to “live on” long after we’re dead.
However, this means we have to give control over to others, who can use it against us. In Jesus’s time, people gave control over to Rome, who they hoped could save them. However, Rome used the fear of death to make the people do as Rome pleased. So, instead of position and power, the people became slaves to Rome.
St. Paul discovered that the only way to secure power and security was to give it all up to become a slave of Christ.
Permanence can’t be found in buildings or having our name inscribed in stone, but it is found through resurrection and life in the risen Christ. And, because life is found in Christ, we need not worry about security in this life.
St. Paul lived as a slave and became more powerful than the emperors. Because of his writings, the gospel conquered all the emperors, and his words live on to this day.
Following St. Paul’s example, we also willingly become slaves of Christ, living our lives in accordance with the Gospel, and, while doing so, we demonstrate to the world that power that’s found in life with God.
Full Text
(1) Challenge
There once was a great king whose name was Solomon. It’s said that this king was the wisest and richest king that ever lived.
To give you a sense of his wealth, just listen to the description of his throne. He sat upon an ivory throne that was overlain with the finest gold. This throne had six steps leading up to it. Each step had two ivory lions, one on each side. The back of the throne was rounded, and, beside the arm rests, were two more ivory standing lions. It’s said that no one in the ancient world had seen a throne like this.
Solomon’s own palace took 13 years to build, while the temple he built for God only took 7 years. Though neither have survived to this day, we do know that Solomon’s palace was far grander than God’s house. No ego here …
There is no doubt that Solomon was a powerful person, and he thought of himself as such. Indeed, scripture says that people came from all around the world, including the famous Queen of Sheba, just to pay homage to this king.
(2) Longing
Like Solomon, many of us craze power and wealth. And, what’s not to like about such things?
Here, I’m not just talking about the material things, like grand palaces and servants—all those things Solomon had.
What I’m talking about is how we believe that power and wealth can fulfill our desire for security in life—true peace.
If we had enough money, then we wouldn’t dread our car breaking down. I know the feeling of taking the car to the mechanic and feeling anxious about the phone call we know is coming. The one that’ll not only explain what’s wrong with the car but also how much it’ll cost to repair.
If we had enough power, perhaps we could ensure security for ourselves and our family. Feeling safe is a basic human right, but sometimes there are people who are more powerful than us and they hurt us—both emotionally and physically.
(3) What happens?
But, to achieve such peace through wealth and power, we either have to enslave those around us, or we have to give up our freedom and submit to others.
Solomon had great wealth and power, and he was able to build grand structures, but, in order to do so, he had to enslave those around him and force them to do his work.
“All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel— their descendants who were still left in the land, whom the Israelites were unable to destroy completely—these Solomon conscripted for slave labor, and so they are to this day. But of the Israelites … they were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, and the commanders of his chariotry and cavalry.”
Because Solomon was a king, everyone belonged to him. And so, when Solomon turned away from God and started worshiping other gods and building temples to them, God chose to destroy the Kingdom of Israel and send the people into exile. Because of Solomon’s over inflated ego, the people suffered.
But, this isn’t what always happens. Sometimes, we believe the way to secure peace is to cozy up to those who already have wealth and power. This is what happened in the 1st-century.
In Jesus’s time, the temple leaders gave control over to Rome, who they hoped could save them—after all, this was the period of the “Pax Romana,” the “Roman Peace.” However, Rome used the fear of death to make the people do as Rome pleased. They did not hesitate to line the streets with crucified people to keep the Judeans in-line. So, instead of finding peace, the people became slaves to Rome.
(4) Christ forges a new path
St. Paul started down the same path. He, like all of us, also desired peace and security in life, and, so, he sought it through wealth and power. It’s by his own admission that he sat at the feet of the most influential rabbis, and that he was progressing in Judaism far beyond his contemporaries.
But, with his intellectual acuity and high positioning within Judaism, what did he do? Just like the Romans, he used his power to wield death—he persecuted the church and stoned Christians, including St. Stephen the first martyr.
I’m sure he was looking for security and thought that Christianity was a threat to the Judean people. And, I’m sure he thought he could accumulate more power if he took up the mantel and went after the church.
But, what did St. Paul discover?
On the road to Damascus, he discovered that secular power blinded him to the reality of God’s peace at work in the world. Only when he was struck blind by Christ was he able to truly see how God cares for his people and gives them true wealth.
What St. Paul discovered was that the only way to obtain power and security was give it all up to become a slave of Christ—for Christ is the only master who frees us and gives us life.
St. Paul lived as a slave and became more powerful than the emperors. Because of his writings, the gospel conquered all the emperors, and his words live on to this day.
This is why St. Paul says that he does not seek human approval. Instead, he seeks to please God, the very thing Solomon failed to do.
(5) Longing satisfied
St. Paul isn’t the only saint who found peace and security by giving up wealth and power. St. Basil the Great did so too.
Saint Basil was a 4th-century Christian bishop and theologian. He came from a wealthy and influential family in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) and was well-educated. Basil could have had a successful career in secular administration, but he chose to live a life of asceticism and become a monk.
St. Basil found peace, not by cozying up with Byzantine power, but by living his life in obedience to his master, Jesus Christ.
(6) Visible evidence
As the bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, St. Basil was much more than just powerful spiritual leader and theologian.
He established the earliest hospitals and homeless shelters, which provided food, clothing, and medical care to those in need. He also established a hospice for the terminally ill. And, even today, his book, “On Social Justice,” is still read by Orthodox Christians around the world.
As a slave of Christ, St. Basil found life in Christ, and he was able to bring peace to those who would have otherwise never known the peace of Christ.
(7) What shall I do?
And now we follow in the example of St. Paul and St. Basil. We also willingly become slaves of Christ, living our lives in accordance with the Gospel, and, in so doing, our master gives us freedom and life.
And while receiving these things, we demonstrate to the world and all those around us a power that’s not found on earth, but a power that’s only found in life with Christ.
Amen.