It has been said that you can measure a person by what it takes to swell his or her head.
The truth of this statement is well illustrated in the public rest rooms under the streets of Paris. At major intersections in Paris, there are stairs leading to underground public toilets. At the foot of the stairs, there is a large metal door and inside, someone is waiting to collect money before allowing use of the toilets.
Imagine the power, the control this person has. No one can enter without his permission. He even takes it upon himself to pound on the door of the stall if, in his estimation, the one inside is taking too long. When he decides to close and lock the door for a lunch break, woe betide those poor souls still standing in the line on the wrong side of the door. The domination they have over others must be exhilarating to these custodians of the toilets. They exercise authority with delight and take no pity on those in distress.
Solomon wisely observed that “Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.” He also pointed out, “For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: for a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; for an odious woman when she is married; and for an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”
We recall how Hagar got a big head when she was able to have a child by Abraham. We are told that Hagar despised Sarah for not being able to conceive.
Luke tells us, following the first breaking of bread, that Jesus explained to his disciples that one of them should betray him. It was a time when Jesus needed their help, for his “soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death.” At that very time, “there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” In the presence of their king, his servants were arguing who should be greatest? Incredible!
This was not the first time that they had argued like this. Luke tells us of a prior occasion when “there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.” Jesus took a little child and “set him by him” to make his point. Later, they forgot the lesson Jesus was trying to teach them; thus in the final hours of the Lord’s mortal life, they were at it again. We wonder, How could they be like this? Yet we share the same human nature and we can also be guilty of similar behavior.
In our ecclesias, we have serving brethren and sisters. Arranging brethren need to remember that they are servants and not masters. The recording brother is not the boss of the ecclesia. He keeps the records and watches over the meeting for good. The librarian is not in charge of the books; he is the servant to supply books to the ecclesia.
The superintendent of the Sunday School should not dominate the teachers or the students; he is there to direct and assist them. Those who exhort and lecture are simply servants trying to encourage and teach.
We hope no ecclesia has door keeping brethren who act like those who work under the streets of Paris.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One