One of the most difficult things in work life is to remain respectful and professional when you get a growing sense of incompetence at the top, knowing that perhaps you could do a better job. It may be an illusion on your part or it may well be true, because things like that happen. Whatever it is, if such a situation occurs, you find yourself in a conundrum: do you embarrass your boss? Usually not a good idea. Do you give your boss gentle clues but leave all the credit to him or her? Difficult to do, it requires a bit of humility, but it’s usually a better strategy. The fact is, people in leadership positions are not always the most qualified by knowledge, temperament, or experience, and yet everybody tries to make it work.
Perhaps Jesus would have done a much better job if he had been on top of the religious leadership of his time. I doubt that he was really interested in becoming a Pharisee or a prestigious teacher of the law, which were coveted positions in his time. I doubt that he had a true interest in making religion “a career,” to use a modern expression. But he could not overlook the hypocrisy on the highest levels, and hypocrisy for a religious leader amounts to fraud. It compromises the entire message; it undermines credibility and takes the ground away on which people stand. So, Jesus found himself in a conundrum. What to do about these religious leaders who were more interested in showboating than in the true, pure Word of God, who spent money on fancy wardrobe, but conveniently forgot to practice what they preached? Their motto seemed to have been, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Jesus advises his disciples to do “whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” That’s a tough one, isn’t it? I would call it “leadership from below.” Sometimes people below are more mature and more attuned to God’s message than those on the top. And that should give us hope.
Well, who are the Pharisees and teachers of the law of our time? We should not spend too much time on that question, because it only leads to finger pointing. But let us just say that almost every year a Christian celebrity falls prey to their own ego. A few years ago, a well- known mega-church pastor was undone by accusations of plagiarism and by reports of heavy-handed, authoritarian leadership. His fall was quick and hard. Robert Schuller, another one, couldn’t sustain his “vision” and so the great and grand Crystal Cathedral he built ended up in the hands of the Catholic diocese of Orange, serving as its new cathedral. Standing on the stage in front of thousands, or selling a lot of books, or having a lot of social media followers, creates temptations for the best of them. This is the temptation of the successful leader: “Am I better than the rest of them?” Psychologist Richard Beck who has written about Christian Celebrity Culture remarks: “What makes for a celebrity is “when one begins to separate themselves from the crowds they are speaking to or writing for.” Celebrity involves a sense of elite distance, from “the common person.” And this, creating distance and separation from the crowd listening to you, is the toxic part of celebrity. It’s the part we see Jesus reacting to with such venomous passion. “You are not better than everybody else!” he shouts at them with so many words. You have been given a gift and a privilege. Don’t abuse it!
It would be easy to make a connection here to all the recent reports of abuse disclosed about Hollywood movie producers and actors, men in positions of power, men with great egos, who fell pretty to the temptations of celebrity culture. But our message this morning should not be about them or about celebrity Christian leaders or about incompetence at the top. In today’s gospel passage Jesus speaks not to the religious leaders of his time, but to his followers and disciples, the people below. And he tells them to reserve some respect for these leader’s teachings because much of it remained true. “Do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” He asked them to essentially separate between the message and the messenger. Hard to do, but often critically important.
As I pondered this message, I was searching for someone who has been a role model for Christian leadership from below – a role model for people who rise above their leaders. It’s a beautiful thing, by the way, when people rise above their leaders, morally, ethically, and in terms of integrity. There are a few, but the one that came to mind most powerfully is Francis – not Pope Francis, but the historic Francis of Assisi. You have all heard about this medieval saint, able to make peace in the times of the crusades, serving the poor and encouraging many others to go and help the sickest people of society; you have heard about him giving up his substantial inheritance and speaking to birds and animals, and about his vision to restore the church. There are people today who follow in his footsteps. They are called “Franciscans.”
Well, Francis was in no formal leadership position. He was a leader from below. He served a pope who was by all accounts the exact opposite of Francis. Innocent III was your typical church prince, installed to bring back efficient power to the church. He got involved in the politics of his time immediately. And Innocent III was not innocent. He called the Fourth Crusade, which was diverted to Constantinople, destroyed that city and resulted in bloodshed among eastern Orthodox Christians. The pope excommunicated the Crusaders who attacked Christian cities, but he made no move to halt or overturn their actions. And he presided over the 4th Lateran Council in 1215, which placed a great burden on the priesthood: from now on they were not allowed to marry. Francis served that pope and he obeyed the teachings of the church. But he did not do as pope Innocent did. I think everybody would agree that Francis was so much more a follower of Christ than his own boss. That’s why he is remembered to this day. He was a leader from below if there ever was one!
So, how can we be leaders from below? My answer is: many of you already are. By speaking words of kindness through your acts, by serving others, by opening your hearts and souls to God and to people around you. Many of you already are leaders from below. Please never think that what you do and how you act doesn’t matter. Let Christ be your leader above all. And don’t worry too much about the show boaters. They are, in every age, just a temporary phenomenon.
Amen.