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Vice vs. Virtue: Power and Humility

Everywhere we look, in every sphere of society, we see people exerting power over others for selfish gain. All over the world, we see power leveraged corruptly, in the most influential countries and the most seemingly insignificant of nations.

We see power used to oppress others through capitalism and communism, and power used to bribe those within halls of congress and those on the streets. We see enslavement in the Global South and North. Abuse abounds in the homes of the rich and the poor, the educated and uneducated, in both white-collar and blue-collar industries. Misuse of power is experienced among those we least expect, even within ourselves.

As Lord Acton, the nineteenth-century English historian, famously wrote, ‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ We have all seen it and we have felt its effects. The irony of power is that it is a gift from God.

In the beginning, God created humanity, blessed us, and commissioned us to leverage power to be a blessing to his creation. In the Garden of Eden, the epicentre of creation, beauty, and blessing, Satan tempted Adam and Eve to use their power for selfish intent, causing the fall and corruption of humanity for every generation to come.

In Matthew 4:5-7 we read about the second temptation of Jesus: ‘Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the temple.’

Much like Washington DC and the White House are symbols of power for the United States of America, Jerusalem and the temple were epicentres of power for the Jewish people. What better place could Satan have chosen to tempt Jesus to grasp hold of power?

‘If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, “He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”’

You can almost hear Satan egging Jesus on again. ‘If you really are the Son of God, then prove it, jump! Let all of us see your power! Psalm 91 says that God will protect you. If you really have faith, then God will catch you.’

Once again, we see the true motivation of Satan is to persuade Jesus to exchange the very things that set him apart from the rest of humanity—his identity (as the Son of God) and position (with the Spirit) for the hollow rewards of sin.

How does Jesus respond? ‘The Scriptures also say, “You must not test the Lord your God.”’

In a moment of great temptation, Jesus overcame the vice of power by exercising the virtue of humility. He did not attempt to exercise his divine privileges to prove his power. Instead, he chose humility by resting in his identity as the Son of God. Satan could not lead him off the edge of the temple because Jesus humbly trusted in the leading of the Spirit.

Jonathan Edwards, the eighteenth-century American preacher, once said, ‘Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility.’

Jesus demonstrates the truth of this statement. He chooses the path of humility as the path of resistance to the devil. Instead of demonstrating his power to the devil on the edge of the temple, Jesus chooses to unleash his power on the cross, forever changing the course of humanity through his blood. Instead of callously using his power for selfish gain, Jesus chooses to use his power to unleash blessing on all humanity.

God created power to bring blessing, but Satan desires to use it as a curse. Let us consider how Satan might be tempting us to abuse and misuse our own influence, abilities, relationships, churches, money, leadership, and resources for our own selfish gain. Likewise, let us consider how Jesus might be calling us to humbly follow in his footsteps and advance his kingdom instead of our own.