Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
There was once a farmer named Cincinnatus. He lived in early days of Rome and it's republic.
Cincinnatus has always been a fascinating figure because he did something very unusual. He was asked to step up and take control of the army and the state. The Romans wanted him to be king. But Cincinnatus did not want to do that, so he took power only with the understanding that he would go back to farming once victor had been achieved. So he ruled and he led the army, and then when all was over, he handed it back.
Being a leader doesn't require one to be a ruler or a king. Cincinnatus didn't want kingship. Jesus didn't either. After feeding the 5000, the people try to take Jesus by force and make Him king. But before that could happen, He went away.
Jesus realized that His power wasn't based on military might. The power of God is found in the village, not the palace. He knew that His role was to march into Jerusalem, not on a war horse, but on a lowly donkey.
Jesus knew that the power of God, as we heard Paul say in 2 Corinthians not long ago, is made perfect in weakness. His mission did not require taking control of the army or the nation. It did require leadership, but it was the leadership of the good shepherd, the hint of which we heard about last week in the Psalm and in the Gospel.
We should be wary of those who wish to have the power of the king solely for themselves, and certainly of those who are not willing to give that power up for others, for they do not follow the path of Jesus. They follow another path entirely.
The path of Jesus has never been about might or power. The power of Jesus is the power of one who would give His life for others. The power of God, put simply, is not power at all, and it is most assuredly made perfect in weakness.