I presented the following slideshow during the 3rd Annual Conference “No Educator Left Behind,” Indianan Wesleyan University, Indianapolis, IN, Friday, June 20, 2008.
June 2008
Monthly Archive
Fri 20 Jun 2008
Wed 4 Jun 2008
JESUS WAS ALWAYS WORKING TO BRING OUT THE HIDDEN POTENTIAL IN PEOPLE. One of the ways He did this was to challenge their thinking, particularly their thinking about themselves. In contemporary terms, we call this empowerment. Heathfield (2006) defines empowerment as “the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is [also] the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of one’s own destiny.” There is a great example of empowerment in the Gospel of John, chapter five. Jesus was visiting the city of Jerusalem during one of the annual Jewish feasts, when he came to a certain public pool called Bethesda. Evidently, some local beliefs had developed around this pool that attributed healing powers to its waters. It was felt that this power was especially present when the waters would ripple, as this was a sign that an angel was stirring up the water. Jesus met one man who was lying near the pool who had been waiting thirty-eight years to be healed. When questioned further, the man said that whenever the waters would stir, someone would always beat him to the pool.
As with so many of the narratives in the Bible, there is a lot detail about this situation that we are simply not given. For example, we don’t know the exact nature of the man’s illness. Nor do we know to what extent he had become “comfortable” in his life of dependency. Some might object: “How could anyone be comfortable living in that condition?” Yes, it does seem unthinkable. But, isn’t it amazing how an unthinkable situation can become thinkable and then, over time, it becomes unthinkable to think otherwise? We even forget why it was unthinkable in the first place. For that clear vision of how life could be different to come again to the surface, we sometimes need to have our basic assumptions shaken up a bit.
Could it be that Jesus’ question to the man was intended to produce exactly this effect? He asks the man: “Do you want to get well?” For the superficial observer, that kind of question might evoke a response like: “Duh, of course he wants to get well, why do you think he’s there in the first place?” However, if you understand empowerment, then you know that equipping others to take on a life of wholeness and autonomy often requires the prior removal of some disempowering thinking about themselves. Jesus’ question might be translated: “Are you really ready to take on the obligations of responsibility? To work and pay for your own way? To begin serving others instead of only being served? If I give you the means to control your life, are you willing to take the responsibility for that control?” These questions all relate to the attitudes that a follower needs to have in place if he or she is to be truly empowered.
Questions for Reflection
(1) Read John 5:1-9. Do you agree with the author’s take on this text? Why or why not? (2) What is some of the thinking that you have seen in others or in yourself that you believe is disempowering? (3) Jesus used a question very skilfully here. What are some other empowering questions? (4) What are some examples of people in the workplace who are sitting by the pool waiting for someone to put them into the water?
Works Cited
Heathfield, S. M. (2006). Employee empowerment. About, Inc. Accessed November 1, 2006 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossarye/a/empowerment_def.htm