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What does it mean that Jesus flipped the power switch? Or, more radically, he went headlong into the human concept of power and rearranged it. Flipped it. Disoriented everyone so that he coud reorient them to a proper use of power.

Ephesians 6:12 reads,

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Think about Jesus and his creative re-framing of power assertions like “turn the other cheek” and “walk an extra mile,” using the situational “power” to expose absurd person-on-person abuse and incorrect uses of power.

Take “walk an extra mile,” a common expression because Romans were allowed to ask civilians in occupied territories to carry their brutally heavy military packs for up to one mile. Jesus creatively says, “go ahead an walk another mile.” Expose their cruelty and oppression. Go even further than their law suggests, showing that their “power” is not the final word. Some have even suggested that the Romans could get in trouble if the civilians were made to go further than a mile, so then the act of going the second mile would make the Roman soldier literally beg for the civilian to stop, lest he find himself in trouble.

How do we creatively use whatever power, influence, and privilege we get (earned or otherwise) to expose the incorrect uses of power?

Take Jesus again and his struggle in the desert with Satan’s temptations, and the reminder of Israel and their struggles in the wilderness wanderings…

struggles with power,

the temptation of using power like every other nation,

hoarding like every other nation,

being about nationality over God like every other nation.

You know, things we can learn a little bit about here in America, in 2009.

How can you expose abuses of power? It’s revolutionary but it doesn’t have to be grand. It probably will require hope and creativity.

In a lot of ways, Jesus did it by saying and showing that “there’s a better way.”

That’s the beauty of the Cross,

that the evil power did not, does not, and never will have the last word.