When my boys were in grade school, “Masters of the Universe” was their favorite show. “He Man” and the “Masters of the Universe” were the good guys who battled the evil forces of the cosmos led by “Skeletor.” And the battle cry of “He Man” in Masters of the Universe was “I have the power!” When that was shouted, evil was always routed … but only till the next episode!
That is so familiar to us all. When we are in control we are happy and calm. When life is difficult and turmoil the norm we would do anything for the power to change what we do not like or cannot understand. We would do anything to be masters of our universe but are daily reminded that we don’t have the power that we either feel we deserve or wish we could muster. My sons didn’t realize the parable their Saturday cartoons really were in the life and death struggle of the masters of the universe. It was thrilling and exciting TV, but they didn’t know yet how it was based on the many themes that would be present in their earthly lives forever.
J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to write a bedtime fantasy tale for his kids full of imagination and adventure. It was the tale of good and evil and a lifelong journey to discover what was outside of Bilbo, the hobbits, safe little world. It became such a best seller his publisher wanted more, and the masterpiece “Lord of the Rings” became the incredible masterpiece that has become so famous across the world. Written in the shadow of World War 2, this complex and literary masterpiece was a powerful examination of the same battle between good and evil, with theology being intentionally brought into play. These stories are all similar to the story that has been part of every culture. The question of every generation is the same, who is the master of your world?
Scripture is full of stories with the same theme: David versus Goliath, Moses battling Pharaoh, Noah racing to escape a flood, or Abraham and Lot fleeing the destruction of Sodom. But the ultimate battle for control of the universe was played out in Jesus’ encounters with Satan, whether in a wilderness temptation or the horrific battle at Calvary.
Who has the power today? How do we struggle with what is beyond our control? Who will help when we feel powerless? Who is the “master” of our universe? What rules our living – demands our attention – preoccupies our thoughts and energy? How do we seek to exert our control over people or forces that get in our way? And why do so many of our efforts at power fail, and rather than being “master” we often feel complete loss of control?
In Romans 6, St. Paul refers to the human condition as “living in slavery – being owned by another.” Such language, with America’s historical shame of slavery is tough to relate to. But Paul had a different context. Slaves and servants were part of every culture of his time. And whoever was owner had the power. So he used an illustration from his world, to discuss issues of every time and place. Paul’s point was to face reality. And the reality is that we all are slaves to the brokenness of this world. Too often Satan is master of our living. Difficult as that language is, it is reality of life. Despite our desires and demands, life will never be perfect because sin and a broken creation exert such power.
Jobs disappear. Illnesses reappear. Friends disappear when needed and darling babies turn into hormone possessed teenagers. Gardens become overgrown with weeds and loved ones die. COVID has changed our lifestyles and protest marches and violence cry out against the pain of having no control over what we would like to control.
We are all frustrated by the forces beyond our control, and would prefer that we could control the universe (or at least the smaller regions where we live – like family, health, and job.) We cry! We complain! We get frustrated! We demand freedom from where we feel like slaves only to find out that when we get our way, we have only traded on master for another.
And even when it seems as if we are getting our way, we know that lurking around the corner for all is the ultimate earthly master called death. Our entire being is tied up with power or the lack thereof. That is what we call sin, and Paul uses that image to help us understand our slavery to the brokenness of a world out of control. We are slaves to sin. It doesn’t mean that we chose to live that way, but that on our own, we can’t escape that reality.
No one would willingly seek to be enslaved! And no one is ever comfortable admitting that something else controls my life. Our country is more sensitive than most about any form of slavery, so to even use the word is anathema to a nation wrapped up in equality and freedom. And yet, selfishness, the idolatry of self, and the inescapable reality of death are reminders that we are more slave than free! There is no escape from sin!
The Gospel of Matthew shares the account of a day when Jesus’ disciples were trapped in their small fishing boat, in a raging storm so terrible that even the professional fishermen on board feared for their lives. Even though Jesus was with them, they felt they would never escape the wind and wave that relentless tossed the boat around like a rag doll. They cried out, “Who will save us?” Jesus was asleep in the boat, so they shook him and demanded, “Don‘t you care that we are going to die?”
Well, you know what happened next! Jesus calmed the storm. Many of us learned that as a standalone story in a Sunday School class and were amazed by the lack of trust of the disciples and the awesome power of Jesus. As children we were not yet ready to understand the real reason for that moment and how it foreshadowed not only the lives of disciples but the journey Jesus would take in the raging storm of Good Friday that would terrify them beyond anything they had ever faced. And then they would see him in the darkness of the eternal sleep in a tomb and cry out as it seemed he was lost to them forever and would never wake again. And like the stilling of the storm, when he rose on Easter he turned that boat ride on the sea of Galilee into a preview of coming attractions that all led to Easter.
His purpose all along was to show that God’s care is so tremendous and loving that even when we can’t see his presence, or feel that he is distant or asleep, that is neve the case. He does care that we are all going to suffer and die on our brief boat ride of life. But to flip the script he accepted our failures on the cross and on Easter emptied not only his tomb, but ours. And now, as happens when we walk out of a theater, finish a great novel, or wake up to a new day in life we have to consider what will come next. What have we learned and how will our living change because of what has changed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
How will; we live when we finally quit demanding to be the master of every par to four lives and celebrate that Jesus, the real Master of the Universe and every power on heaven and on earth has humbled himself to take our place in what we can’t control, so that we can be set free from every wind and wave that gets in our way.
Paul confronts this dilemma with a simple question, who rules your life? In other words, “are you master or slave?” Paul says if we live according to our passion, (meaning natural instincts) then we continue as slaves to sin. Conversely, if God’s Spirit controls our life then He becomes Master as we freely accept our role as His servants. Even our earthly freedom, we learn, has the price of ownership of someone or something else. Slavery is another word for the dependency called sin, and the resulting condition called death.
What a difficult concept to people who insist on freedom, yet who confront the inescapable master called death. But surrendering instead to God as Master brings a freedom to our servanthood as daily living becomes an exercise in faith and freedom under the shadow of God’s loving grace. Accepting God as master is concept alien to human nature because each of us would rather be master of our world than servant to anyone else – even God!
Faith is the freedom to say, “I know who has created me, who protects me, and who gives me a purpose. “ I rejoice in knowing who I am and that my God will do for me what I could never do for myself! I respond to the God who stoops to wash my feet, destroy my tomb, and forgive me for not being perfect. There is nothing but joy in living with such a servant Savior.”
We love to think we have the power to set people free. We demand laws to show how wise and powerful we are. We assume medicine and science can conquer all the forces of life and even death. We are convinced that we deserve what we want. And we fail to acknowledge our slavery to selfishness, anger, resentment, fear, prejudice, sickness and death.
That is why God began his victory as a helpless infant, completely dependent upon everyone else, like a slave. That is why Jesus began our emancipation by becoming a servant who washed feet and freely accepted the finality of a death He didn’t deserve. Faith is surrender, and his faithful love allows us to escape the universe controlled by sin and death. Easter announces who the only Master of the Universe could ever be.
In the midst of a raging storm Jesus simply asked, “Where is your faith?” And then he did what they couldn’t. Calming the storm was easy! It is our response, which is simply to acknowledge God as master, where we often fail. How interesting that in our desire to become free people we only squirm more tightly into the death grip of this world – a trap from which there is no escape. Earthly freedom simply trades one master for another.
On the other hand, what peace to know that in choosing freely to accept God as master, that we find true freedom in servant love as we kneel before God and learn to wash the feet of those around us. The future isn’t always clear. And storms can rage. But God is the only master who has ever truly freed the slaves.