In the eighteenth century, the philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”  His observation is still valid today.  

It is understandable, perhaps, that good people can witness suffering and injustice but feel powerless to remediate them.  That feeling of powerlessness, however, is not sufficient cause to act as nothing more than a disinterested bystander to the suffering of others.  Today’s Scripture readings have something to say about getting involved in the events one witnesses. 

In the ancient world, a key had symbolic value in addition to its practical value.  The type of key mentioned in the first reading would have been used to secure the royal palace of the kingdom of Judah; it might also have secured the king’s treasury.  The authority to lock the palace and treasury doors conferred a great deal of status on the person who carried it; as a reflection of the status conferred by the key, such keys were usually very large and ornate. 

Shebna, the fellow who lost his status as manager of the royal household, had allowed his ego to outstrip his authority.  He commissioned a grand mausoleum for himself, using the king’s funds.  The king lost patience with Shebna’s inflated self-opinion and replaced him with a more trustworthy manager. 

This reading was chosen to illustrate the significance of Jesus’ words to Peter, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 16:19)  The “keys to the kingdom” were not, of course, physical keys.  Jesus was using a well-known metaphor to describe the authority he would confer on Peter as leader of the Twelve. 

In the Scriptures, the word translated as “authority” can be translated as “power,” as well.  Crucially, however, when authority and power are spoken of in the Scriptures, the reader is to understand that “authority” and “power” are validly exercised only as expressions of responsibility. 

Shebna, who was fired from the position of palace manager, misused his authority by acting irresponsibly, and he was judged unfit for the position.  Jesus gave Peter authority in the sense of responsibility for continuing Jesus’ mission of reconciliation.  He emphasized this aspect of responsibility with his pronouncement, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19)  The ‘binding’ and ‘loosing’ refer to interpreting religious law, in this case, Jesus’ teaching. 

Authority in the Church, then, refers to the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel faithfully and instructing the faithful to live in this passing world in such a way as to find eternal salvation.  Jesus’ teaching on authority, however, isn’t limited to Church leaders.  Everyone has some sort of leadership authority.  Some are chosen to be leaders of political entities; others are leaders of corporate entities.  Still others are leaders of families; even those not recognized as leaders exercise influence over those around them.  Everyone has some share of responsibility, and everyone’s responsibility is described in Jesus’ teaching on authority. 

Jesus chose an interesting place to deliver his teaching about authority.  Caesarea Philippi was a town built to honor the glory and power of the Roman Empire.  This event illustrates what Jesus said later in the Gospel, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt.” (Mt 20:25)  He drew a direct contrast between the capricious, self-serving exercise of power in the Roman Empire, on the one hand, and the selfless way his disciples were to act, on the other. 

The world has not changed since Edmund Burke lamented the social inertia that allows injustice to spread unchecked.  Obviously, it is not possible to prevent all injustice, but some injustices are preventable.  The problems of world hunger and poverty are intractable, but it is possible to alleviate some of the needless suffering one witnesses.  The world will always be afflicted with problems, but those problems should never be ignored. 

Everyone has some degree of authority and power; therefore, everyone is responsible to use that authority to continue Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation.  Doing the little bit of good that one is able to do is immeasurably greater than doing nothing because the goodness of acting responsibly toward others is not diminished by the inconspicuousness of the act. 

Jesus did not send his disciples into the world as bystanders but as emissaries of healing and reconciliation.  Today, we bear the weight and glory of that status as the ones charged to continue his work.