Tuesday September 5, 2017
Once I attended a meeting convened by the principal of a college. The principal walked in and took his seat at a chair different from what had been designated for him. One of the teachers respectfully pointed out to him that he was supposed to occupy the central chair. The principal smiled, but declined and said, “Where I sit is the center.” Wasn’t he right! The whole assembly turned its attention on him as he began to lead the meeting, and indeed, where he sat became the center of the gathering.
It is not any place of honor or chair at the center that confers authority on a person. Rather, it is the quality of being and doing that commands authority and elicits respect from others. Jesus had no official position in the synagogue or in the Sanhedrin but, because his being radiated so much authority and integrity, he commanded the attention of the people and the obedience of all creation. Where does my authority come from: from external endowments or from my inner being?
