Reverend Marci Scott-Weis, MDIV

Well dear ones, today we consider one more of  Jesus’ radical and counter-cultural teachings in his Upside Down Kingdom. The power of weakness. And there is perhaps no more critical teaching of Jesus to get right now than this one.

When Jesus’ disciples argued over who would be the most powerful, Jesus set them straight. He told them very clearly that “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant”.  He redefined power not as the ability to command but as the willingness to humble oneself to serve. And when he was asked who was the greatest in God’s Upside Down Kingdom, he responded that it was a child, the symbol of the most vulnerable and the most powerless member of society was to be the model for his followers. And on the day that he triumphantly rides in Jerusalem, swarmed by crowds chanting his name, it is not on a war horse or any other symbol of empire or power upon which Jesus arrives, instead, he rides in on a donkey.

Now, I don’t know anyone who likes to be described as weak. For most of us, weakness is something that is avoided at all costs because it’s associated with being powerless, being less than. We may fear that even the appearance of weakness in our power-hungry, dog-eat-dog world is going to lead to us being taken advantage of. And there’s good reason for that avoidance of being perceived as weak. We live in a society that pities, mocks and derides those who are weakened by age, sickness or disability..

Everywhere we look in our society, there’s evidence of discomfort with weakness and gravitating to power. We all seem to tend to act on the assumption that the world is a dangerous place and that we have to respond with strength to assure safety for ourselves, our loved ones and our possessions. And conversely, we tend to assume that if we’re weak, we’re going to be exploited or used. Again, often for very good reasons.

Power dynamics impact every aspect of our lives. In our political sphere, we have a large percentage of our population who are supporting a platform of nationalistic power, who are advocating for strength over compassion in all approaches to public and geopolitical policy.  Our western culture seems to be based on a value system of success that’s often highly dependent upon personal power. And honestly, one of the biggest challenges that I had to learn personally how to deal with in therapy was how to manage power in my personal relationships. All aspects of our lives are touched by power dynamics.

That’s why it is so very hard to truly understand God’s Upside Down Kingdom and this teaching regarding the power of weakness. There is perhaps no more counter cultural teaching of Jesus than this one. And perhaps no more essential teaching is needed for these times than this one.

And I want to share a story to help illustrate why this teaching is so needed right now…it’s a story from the Islamic tradition, and it goes like this…

Every day, a woman would wait for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to walk past her home, and every day, as he passed, she would throw garbage on him. Now this didn’t just happen one time, it was routine, and it happened every day. And every day, the Prophet did not respond with anger. He never retaliated. He simply continued on his way. And that pattern continued, day after day.

Then one day, something changed. There was no trash. No shouting. Just silence. Noticing her absence, the Prophet asked after her and found out that she was ill and too sick to leave her bed. So he went to her home, not to retaliate or to rebuke her, but to check on her. He went to her home to offer care. He went to her home to see if she needed anything. The woman was astonished by his kindness. Her heart softened. And according to tradition, that simple act of mercy began a transformation in her life.

So, would the Prophet have been justified in retaliating against the woman? Probably. But that’s not this story. Instead, this is a story about choosing a path of compassion even when justified in doing otherwise. It’s a story about choosing humanity over hostility, about refusing to answer harm with more harm. This is a story about allowing love to interrupt the cycle and make room for healing and transformation. It’s a story that echoes the critical teachings of Jesus’ Upside Down Kingdom because this is a story about the power of weakness.

And in these times of retaliation and meeting harm with harm, it’s an important story and it’s a critical teaching. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians that we heard earlier says that ‘Power is made perfect in weakness.’ Paul goes on to say, “I boast of my weaknesses.” Paul isn’t saying he’s some 90 pound weakling and proud of it. Instead Paul is giving us a crucial insight into faith. He’s telling us that his weaknesses are an important part of his faith.

Or said another way by Hemingway, ‘pain can become a source of healing; and some of us grow strong at the broken places.’ Both Paul and Hemmingway are trying to tell us that we can find our spiritual center when we embrace and befriend our weaknesses and become, in Henri Nouwen’s term, “wounded healers.” That if we can allow our pain, our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses to widen our sensitivity to others; we can then allow those weaknesses to connect us to the suffering of others and to activate our compassion and our mercy. There is power in our weaknesses, and it is perfect.

That’s why Jesus was always hanging out with powerless people. That’s why Jesus was always hanging out with those who were hurting and oppressed and those who were in pain and in need of healing. His life’s mission was to invite weak and wounded people to enter the God’s Upside Down Kingdom of love, forgiveness, justice, mercy, compassion and most of all, restored life.

Jesus focused first on people who were weak and he was able to do this because his starting point was weakness. He was able to do this because Jesus’ own life was filled with experiences of weakness. In the Gospels, Jesus was rejected by his own relatives and even as he was being rejected, he found some power in his weakness. Mark’s Gospel says, “He could do no deed of power there, except he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” Even as he was being rejected by his community, he found a way to heal and to connect to the suffering of others and reached out with compassion and mercy. Even as he was being rejected by his community, he found a way for his pain to become a source of healing. He found a way to find power in weakness.

Jesus’ entire life bears witness to the reality that in God’s Upside Down Kingdom, God’s power for life and love is not in any way like the powers of this world. From the fragility and weakness of an infant’s cry as Jesus was held in his mother’s arms to his brutal death on a cross, Jesus’ life is a testimony to a form of power that is cradled in weakness and vulnerability and shows up as compassion, mercy and love.

So, may we find the courage and the resolve to be weak enough to follow Jesus on this most holy and sacred journey.

May that be so…

Amen

 

written: March 29th, 2026