Pondering Proverbs - Leadership (2)

 

“By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly.” Proverbs 8:15 – 16.

 

In our previous reflection on this passage we asked, “Who is speaking here?”

 

Is there a similarity between Proverbs Chapter 8 and John 1:1 – 5? Indeed, we might ask whether there is a similarity between Proverbs Chapter 8 and John 1:1 – 18? After touching on the similarities, what are the distinctions?

 

And then, what affinity does Proverbs Chapter 8 have with John 17?

 

These passages display a Trinitarian Affinity, that is, they draw us into the koinonia of the Trinity and into the eternals, into the transcendent. In Christ, these passages allow us to say with John, “…what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have koinonia with us; and indeed our koinonia is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 Jn. 1:3).

 

Perhaps this excerpt from the Nicene Creed will help us (pay attention to Proverbs 8:24 – 25):

 

“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.”

 

What do you see in this excerpt when you compare it to Proverbs 8 and John 1?

 

Here is what follows in the Creed: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

 

How does this compare with John 1:14 – 18?

 

In John 1:1 we see the Word, in Proverbs 8 we see Wisdom. In Proverbs 8 Wisdom calls to mankind and offers light and wisdom, in John 1, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” Throughout Proverbs, especially in chapters 1 – 9, we see the conflict between wisdom and foolish darkness, between righteousness and wickedness – we also see that conflict in the Gospel of John, and John gives us a taste of what is to come with the statement, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [or overpower] it.” (John 1:5). In both Proverbs 8 and John 1 we see God creating.

 

In Proverbs 8 we see “I was brought forth” which the Nicene Creed speaks of in “begotten not made.” In John 1:14 we see Him who was “begotten not made” called “the only begotten from the Father” and becoming flesh. We might say that we see two births – both beyond our comprehension, one in Proverbs 8:24 – 25, another in the Word becoming flesh in John 1:14.

 

We simply do not have language to talk about these mysteries, not in a comprehensive fashion – for they are beyond us; yet they can touch us and we can touch them, and as Peter writes, we can become partakers of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4) and we can learn to live in the koinonia of the Trinity.  We encounter the same challenge when we ponder the Incarnation, and by extension the Lord’s Table. As I understand it, Luther once said when pressed about his understanding of Real Presence in the Eucharist, “You explain the Incarnation to me and I’ll explain Real Presence in Holy Communion to you.” (Or words to that effect).

 

Now, you may wonder, what does this have to do with leadership and authority?

 

It has everything to do with it, for all true power and authority and position and leadership is grounded in God, and the Second Person of the Trinity expresses this ground to us. Therefore the Son says, “By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly.”

 

And we must not forget that the centurion saw this! “For I also am a man under authority, with solders under me…” (Matthew 8:9). And Jesus replies, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” (Matthew 8:10).

 

In other words, the centurion saw beyond the visible into the invisible, he saw into and through John 1 and Proverbs 8, and in doing so he touched the eternals, he approached the Throne Room – and this, Jesus says, was remarkable faith, far surpassing anything Jesus had seen in Israel.

 

The legitimate exercise of authority and leadership ought to have its ground in being under authority and leadership; to rule we must be ruled, to lead we must serve, to use authority we must be subject to authority; what this ultimately leads us to is the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ. In Proverbs 8 we see Him before the foundation of the world (see also John 17:5, 24), in John 1 we see Him coming into the world, and in Revelation 19:16 we see Him returning in all of His glory. Of course, He continues in His Incarnation within us, His Body (1 Cor. 12:12), which is all the more reason for our lives to be grounded in Him.