Power is such an enticement that allures everyone to crave for it and attain it by any means. Power is a common theme in human stories, including in different religions and their myths. Many ancient texts show gods fighting wars, winning lands, or defeating rivals. These tales often reflect the human societies that wrote them. People gave their gods human traits like anger, pride, and the desire to rule. Also, there are stories of religious leaders demonstrating the power by waging war, killing those whom they think are their opponents, capturing kingdoms, forcing conversion etc.
Talking about family system spouses, parents, in-laws, all want to be in power including infants and children. The same spirals in society and workplaces too. Power wants to rule. It sounds exhausting to feel like every relationship around you—from your own home to your workplace—is caught in a constant struggle for control. It is completely valid to feel overwhelmed when it seems like everyone, even children, are competing to dictate the rules. Dr Bob Beare states, “Most problems are due to power hunger, which is rooted in a childhood safety deficit. Control hunger leaders are never satiated. Power hunger cannot fill the hole in the soul.”
Bible narrates the story of a very powerful person named, Paul. Originally known as Saul, he was a devout, strictly observant Pharisee and a fierce persecutor of early Jewish Christians. He actively hunted, arrested, and persecuted early followers of Jesus out of religious conviction, viewing them as blasphemers. He experienced a dramatic turning point on the road to Damascus. He had a visionary encounter with the resurrected Jesus, which led him to turn from persecuting the church to becoming its most prominent missionary.
After Paul started preaching Jesus in different parts of the world, he preached the gospel across the Roman Empire during three major missionary journeys, traveling through regions like Syria, Cyprus, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), Macedonia, and Greece, and finally preaching in Rome. At one point while Paul was there in Asia talking about the resurrection of Christ to the crowd. There was a commotion and some started to oppose his teaching. The Bible records, that there was a riot and the mob wanted to kill Paul.
The reason for this riot is recorded in the historical narrative in the Bible. Asia was saturated with people worshipping idols. The business of gods made with silver was flourishing. The businessmen were powerful and were in full control to make gods out of silver and sell to the whole world. It talks about a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. The Bible states, that “when he had assembled the crowd, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business.”. The complaint against Paul was that, not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia, he persuaded people by saying that “gods made by hand are not gods.”. When Demetrius found, his power was connected to the business of making gods, he realized he was losing it and revolted.
Paul was preaching Jesus and His resurrection. Then opposers further expressed their fear by saying “not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited but that the temple will come to the verge of ruin. And mark what they said “the very one all of Asia and the world worship”. Interesting to know how someone thrived in a business of making gods.
Jesus was a God of love who though had an unmatchable power, why I say that because He raised people from dead and yet hung in the cross of Calvary not as a defeater but creating a way for us to receive forgiveness and salvation. He did not use His power to capture kingdom proving that He is God. He created the universe and does not need to conquer anything. Do you want to know Jesus more, who is powerful in loving us immensely?
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