Many years ago I wrote a piece for Christians for Biblical Equality focused on how the traditional patriarchal view of authority and responsibility being held solely to men is not in line with Jesus’s teachings and prayers regarding unity and self-sacrificial love. I felt like my language was a little stilted, however, I was pleased with the way the essay came together. I felt like I’d managed to say many things that I’d wanted to convey. I was just starting to put my writing out into the world.
Unexpectedly the CBE editor contacted me to let me know that Sojourners wanted to pick up my piece and republish it. I was equal parts thrilled and intimidated. Who doesn’t want to receive validation for their work? At the same time, I recognized that a whole lot more eyes seeing my work meant a whole lot more opportunities for criticism. Sojourners made a few additional edits, and then released the essay in one of their regular newsletters.
I had no one to coach me on how to prepare for the comments section or, even better, give me the valuable advice to avoid the comments section altogether. Instead, I took a peek to see whether my words had communicated effectively. There were some comments supporting my perspective and some arguing with my conclusions. However, one comment left me at a loss. A gentleman said something along the lines of how I made a good case but that didn’t matter. Unless someone could show him what he had to gain, or as he put it “what’s in it for me,” then he would continue to hold onto the authority he had, even though it was based merely on his gender.
I had no response.
That one comment replayed in my mind for several years afterward. I was both dismayed and annoyed with myself that I couldn’t seem to come up with an adequate answer to why someone holding power should willingly let go of it for the benefit of others. While I continued to write for faith-based organizations, I seldom wrote pieces presenting my personal experience and perspective. I felt unable to give adequate answers to questions about why I believe what I believe.
My whole life I’ve wrestled with what I really believe about Jesus and how I can apply that in my life. My early spiritual formation was in the Pentecostal tradition. I’m thankful for it and highly value my Pentecostal siblings in Christ. At the same time, my experience of Pentecostalism didn’t provide me with the vocabulary and space to ask the “why” questions.
For the past 15 years or so, I’ve been hanging out with the Anabaptists. I love the Anabaptist focus on looking to Jesus and the example of his life as the lens through which we understand who God is, what God’s purposes are, and how we are to apply that in our lives. I’ve started looking first at what Jesus said and did as my foundation for understanding the rest of scripture. In spending more time focused on studying Jesus’s life, I’ve started compiling a list of “Things Jesus Never Said.”
Unexpectedly I found the list provided an answer to the gentleman’s comment from years ago. Turns out, Jesus never said anything like “what’s in it for me.” There is nothing in his example, in his teaching, in his characteristics that aligns with “what’s in it for me.” Over and over again by word and example, Jesus says share whatever you have with others, love others enough to make room for them and their differences, purposely set an extra place at your table for others, all so that by your loving example others will begin to understand what my kingdom is about….self-sacrificial love.
I now have my response to the gentleman’s comment. There’s nothing “in it for you” when you give to others out of sacrificial love….except the benefits of following in the example of Christ, participating in the establishment of Christ’s peaceable kingdom, and becoming more human as God created humanity to be.
You nailed it . . . and once you said it . . . of course, it seemed "obvious." Thank you for taking the time to wrestle thru it in order to come up with the very simplest of answers. "There's nothing in it for you" And as is so often true . . . the simplest answers are likely to be the ones Jesus intended.
Well said! If one prefers to hold onto power, then "what's in it for me" makes perfect sense. But I don't see that anywhere in Jesus's life or teaching. He was always rejecting the path to power. It behooves us to take note. Thanks for sharing, Chrystal.