Christ the King

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46

November 20, 2011

Dwight Zscheile

What’s the biggest problem in the world today? I suspect a lot of things come to mind for you—environmental destruction, poverty, injustice, disease, famine, to name just a few. These are all massive challenges. But I think there is one that trumps them all: bad leadership.

Consider for a moment the impact of self-serving, distorted leadership on governments and societies. This accounts for much of the poverty and famine in the world—just think of North Korea or Somalia. The Occupy Wall Street movement has drawn attention to the profound inequalities of wealth and power in America today and tried to call economic and political leaders to account for their lack of stewardship for the common good. We’ve seen corrupt dictators overthrown in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, and as I speak another one is fighting bitterly to hold onto power in Syria.

You’ve no doubt experienced leadership in a variety of organizations over the course of your life—schools, businesses, non-profits, community organizations, the church. You likely have a firsthand taste of how life-draining it is to work under a leader who doesn’t appreciate your gifts and voice, who fails to tap into the wisdom and potential of the people, who coerces and manipulates.

The majority of leadership in the world is exercised within families. Think of the damage done by abusive, uncaring, self-centered parents. They were probably shaped by parents who treated them like that in turn, sometimes going back generations. It all gets passed down. So much hurt and pain, so much wasted life and opportunity.

Today’s readings focus on leadership, as is fitting for Christ the King Sunday. These texts speak sharply to the question of leadership, calling us to account and inviting us into a very different, and very powerful, way to lead and follow than we often see in our world.

Let’s begin with Ezekiel. It’s too bad we couldn’t begin at the start of chapter 34, because the passage we heard leaves out the really interesting part. It’s a very strong critique of Israel’s leaders. In the Bible, the shepherd is a common metaphor for leadership—both God’s and human leadership. In the first part of the chapter, God condemns the leaders of Israel for taking what belongs to the people and fattening themselves with it, for fostering injustice rather than seeking the flourishing of the flock. The language is harsh and clear—a tremendous amount is at stake in leadership for the common good, and God pays attention. The exile that they have violently experienced is interpreted here as in part a consequence of unfaithful leadership.

However, the good news is that people are not only led by their political and religious officials; God is the ultimate leader. We hear the promise that God will seek out the scattered sheep and lead them back, restoring and feeding them so that they might have healing and abundant life. Even in the midst of the turmoil and displacement of exile, when there has been a colossal failure of leadership, God’s leadership remains trustworthy and will prevail.

It’s no accident that Jesus picks up this metaphor of the leader as shepherd. Our reading from Matthew echoes Ezekiel in its concern for the poor and vulnerable. The imagery here is of a final accounting. The separation that takes place is based on whether those with power and resources shared them generously with the poor, hungry and needy, or whether they kept those resources and power to themselves and turned the hungry away.

What’s so striking here is not just the strong message about how vital it is to share power and resources and meet the needs of others. The story goes beyond that: God identifies with the weak and vulnerable. When we feed the hungry or clothe the naked, we are feeding and clothing God. This isn’t just a matter of basic fairness; it goes much deeper to the level of identity—what it means to be human in God’s image.

God’s leadership is focused on creating and restoring community in patterns of justice and mercy. God seeks the flourishing of all creatures, not just the few. To be created in God’s image is to participate in communities of openness, generosity, and mutuality—to be givers and receivers. God gives us authority to steward or take care of ourselves, one another, and the world in freedom. We are to do so as God does—creatively and collaboratively, seeking life and well-being for all. God gives generously to us and calls us to lives of generosity. God doesn’t give with strings attached, doesn’t hold back, doesn’t micromanage, doesn’t hold grudges. Even when we screw up, God continues to give. God doesn’t just give to get something back.

So in the story Jesus tells, to refuse to share what God has given us with others is to violate our humanity. It is to break community rather than create and restore it. It betrays our basic identity and purpose.

For God gives God’s very self to us, sacrificially, generously, graciously. This is what it means to lead—to seek the wholeness and flourishing of others by sharing our authority, our gifts, our very life itself. Jesus was willing to lead even by being vulnerable himself—suffering the injustice of persecution, torture, and execution on the cross. God’s way of leading is not a lording over, a dictatorial coercion or control. It is an identification with us, in our weakness and vulnerability, so that we might be lifted up.

Every one of you is a leader. You have been entrusted with authority to care for colleagues, children, grandchildren, neighbors, the earth, the common good. The stakes are high. We live in a historical moment when self-serving leadership seems as powerful as ever and also when people are rising up and demanding more from their leaders. How do we navigate the countless leadership decisions we all make each day in such a world?

We can’t lead well unless we are following—not following ourselves and our agendas, but following God. Today’s lessons invite us to claim the promise that God is the ultimate authority and influence who seeks our well-being and the well-being of all. We have the chance to open up our lives to one another and to those in greatest need, because God has first opened God’s life up to us.