At our Free Store conversation on Thursday morning George Dunn led us in a discussion of Matthew 20.17-28. He started by telling us this passage reminded him of a sign on a former boss's office door, "The scourgings will continue until morale improves" which made us laugh. George said that this was a very common form of leadership in the world. He also said that Jesus totally repudiated this type of strong-arm, top-down leadership and that in fact Jesus rejected leadership altogether and instead promoted the value of service.
George went on to tell us that the kingdom of God is a counterculture. He said this is different than a subculture which is separate but subservient to the larger culture. Counterculture is that which runs against and is deeply opposed to culture at some level. George said that one of the ways that Jesus was countercultural was the way he elevated the status of women. Jesus placed a high value on women which ran counter to the male dominant perspective of his time. George said that because of such countercultural views and actions that Jesus was a threat to the dominant order. He said that because Jesus "went to the wrong school of theology they got rid of him as a heretic" which for some strange reason made us laugh.
As the conversation continued George said that one of the reasons people want top-down leadership is because "we want to escape personal responsiblity for our lives." At this another friend said, "It's good to have someone to blame" which made us laugh. George then asked the question, "Have you heard of Nuremburg?" which sobered us.
The conversation took a bit of a turn when one of our friends said, "We define ourselves by what we have. If we have a lot we think we are worth a lot and if we have little we think we are worth little. It's a trap for both rich and poor." Our new friend Joan said, "We think money will make us significant people so we accumulate as much as we can. However worth is not based on what we have but on who we are." She also said that Jesus was "trying to teach people to be humble." At this George told us about a cars salesman he knew that would tell lies to sell cars and refused to pay his employees fairly and yet the guy made a big deal about being a Christian. He said that he wasn't any better because for much of his life he would "Do unto others then run like hell" which made us laugh.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion George said that he had a picture he wanted to show us. He said, "One picture is worth more than one thousand George words" which made us laugh. He told us that the first time he saw it he knew he wanted to have a copy framed and given to the free store. In the picture a handful of world leaders are sitting in chairs in front of Jesus. Osama bin Laden is sitting between George W. Bush and Kofi Annan. Jesus is in a kneeling posture with wash basin and towel in hand in the process of washing the feet of the world's power brokers. George said that ultimately "there are no leaders. There are only great servants." At this Donald said, "My pastor washed my feet one day in church. I didn't believe in all that stuff. Now I trust in God."
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