Summary: We live in nation of "rights" but if my rights conflict with yours we can end up in court, in a church split or in a family division. How do we avoid letting our desire to defend our rights to ruin our lives?
OPEN: I’m going to read from the words of an ancient document. When I’m finished I’m going to ask you what document these words are from (we put the words up on the screen and underlined the word “Rights” in the passage):
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”
Does anyone know where these words come from? (the opening words to the “Declaration of Independence”)
Now I don’t know if you noticed, but the word “Rights” (as in “unalienable Rights”) began with the capital letter “R” (I underlined it for you). The fact that this word was capitalized indicates that our nation’s founders regarded this declaration of our “RIGHTS” to be highly important – and so they capitalized it!!
The United States of America is a NATION of RIGHTS. In fact, our nation’s founders saw fit to include additional document to Constitution. It’s called the “Bill Of Rights” and it listed 10 amendments declaring the rights of individuals and states in our nation. These rights are (theoretically) rights that neither the President nor the Congress, nor Court or Lawyers… can take away from us.
Among those RIGHTS (listed in the Bill Of Rights) are the rights to freedom of religion, of speech, of the press… and so on.
Now just in case they missed something, the founders put this as the 10th amendment “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
In other words – if the Constitution didn’t give a specific authority to the Federal Government, then the Federal Government did not have the right to claim that authority. If it did so… it would be violating the rights of the States or of Individuals. Our Nation’s Founders realized that unless they restricted the power of the Federal Govt. our elected officials might be tempted to run roughshod over folks and create a tyranny where people would be enslaved. Realizing this, they put a high premium on our individual RIGHTS.
So, this nation is a nation of RIGHTS. That’s how we were founded. And we should thank God every day that we were blessed by being born into a nation like this one.
But as much a blessing it is to live in a nation where our “RIGHTS” protected there can be a problem if YOUR rights conflict with MY rights (or vice versa). When your rights and my rights clash… then we have a problem! When that happens it too often leads to lawsuits, church splits, and even family divisions.
And we have a case study of that kind of conflict right here in the book of Mark:
“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’
And he said to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’
Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’
And they said to him, ‘We are able.’
And Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’
And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. Mark 10:35-41
Now, what’s the problem here? Why are the other disciples indignant at James and John?
Well, all the disciples believed Jesus was about to set up as an earthly Kingdom, and (of course as King) He would appoint people to serve as officials. They all presumed that important task would fall to them, as His close and trusted followers. Those who would sit at right and left hand seats were special positions of power and authority, and only the most trusted most important of those officials would be given that honor.
"Tunaishi katika taifa la ""haki"" lakini ikiwa haki zangu zinapingana na zako tunaweza kuishia mahakamani, katika mgawanyiko wa kanisa au katika mgawanyiko wa familia." Tunawezaje kuepuka kuruhusu tamaa yetu ya kutetea haki zetu iharibu maisha yetu? Nitasoma maneno ya hati ya kale. "Ninapomaliza, nitakuuliza ni hati gani maneno haya yanatoka (tuliweka maneno kwenye skrini na kuangazia neno ""Haki"" katika kifungu): ""Wakati katika mwendo wa matukio ya kibinadamu inakuwa muhimu kwa watu kufuta vifungo vya kisiasa ambavyo vimewaunganisha na wengine na kuchukua kati ya nguvu za dunia, nafasi tofauti na sawa ambayo Sheria za Asili na Mungu wa Asili zinawapa haki, heshima ya heshima kwa maoni ya wanadamu inahitaji kwamba wanapaswa kutangaza sababu ambazo zinawafanya kujitenga." """Tunaona ukweli huu kuwa dhahiri, kwamba watu wote wameumbwa sawa, kwamba wamepewa na Muumba wao haki fulani zisizoweza kuondolewa, kwamba kati ya hizi ni Maisha, Uhuru na Ufuatiliaji wa Furaha."" - John F. Kennedy" "Hii ni maneno ya kwanza ya ""Tangazo la Uhuru"" (Julisho la Uhuru) ""Hakika haki"" (kama katika ""Haki zisizoweza kuondolewa") huanza kwa herufi kubwa ""R"" (Nimeiweka chini kwa ajili yenu)." Ukweli kwamba neno hili liliandikwa kwa herufi kubwa unaonyesha kwamba waanzilishi wa taifa letu waliona tangazo hili la "HAKI" zetu kuwa muhimu sana <unk> na kwa hivyo waliliandika kwa herufi kubwa!! Marekani ni taifa la haki. Kwa kweli, waanzilishi wa taifa letu waliona inafaa kuingiza hati ya ziada katika Katiba. "Katika sheria hiyo, ""Bill of Rights"" inaorodheshwa na kuandikwa marekebisho kumi ya sheria ambayo yanatangaza haki za watu binafsi na serikali katika taifa letu." Hizi ni haki (kwa nadharia) haki ambazo wala Rais wala Bunge, wala Mahakama au Wanasheria... hawawezi kutuchukua. Miongoni mwa HAKI hizo (zilizotajwa katika Muswada wa Haki) ni haki za uhuru wa dini, wa kusema, wa vyombo vya habari... na kadhalika. "Kwa mfano, kama sheria ya Marekani haikutoa mamlaka maalum kwa serikali ya shirikisho, serikali ya shirikisho haikuwa na haki ya kudai mamlaka hiyo.""" Kama ingefanya hivyo... ingekuwa ikivunja haki za Mataifa au za Watu binafsi. Waanzilishi wa Taifa letu walitambua kwamba isipokuwa wakipunguza nguvu za Serikali ya Shirikisho. "Wakuu wetu waliochaguliwa wanaweza kujaribiwa kuwapiga watu miguu na kuunda utawala wa kimabavu ambapo watu watakuwa watumwa.""" Wakiwa na ufahamu wa jambo hilo, wao huweka thamani kubwa juu ya HAKI zetu za kibinafsi. Kwa hiyo, taifa hili ni taifa la haki. Hivyo ndivyo tulivyoanzishwa. Tunapaswa kumshukuru Mungu kila siku kwa kuwa tumebarikiwa kuzaliwa katika taifa kama hili. Lakini kama baraka ni kuishi katika taifa ambapo <unk>Haki zetu<unk> kulindwa kunaweza kuwa na tatizo kama haki zako mgogoro na haki zangu (au kinyume chake). Haki zako na haki zangu zinaposhindana... basi tuna tatizo! Hilo linapotokea mara nyingi sana huongoza kwenye kesi za kisheria, mgawanyiko wa kanisa, na hata mgawanyiko wa familia. "Kama ilivyoandikwa katika kitabu cha Marko, ""Yakobo na Yohana wana wa Zebedayo wakamjia wakamwambia, 'Mwalimu, tunataka ututendee chochote tutakachokuomba.' ""Wakauliza, ""Mnataka niwatendee nini?""Wakamwambia, ""Tupatie nafasi ya kuketi mmoja upande wako wa kulia na mwingine upande wako wa kushoto katika utukufu wako.""" "Je, mnaweza kunywa kikombe ninachokunywa mimi, au kubatizwa kwa ubatizo ninaobatizwa nao?""+ Wakamjibu: ""Tunaweza.""+ Yesu akawaambia: ""Mtakunywa kikombe ninachokunywa, na ubatizo ninaobatizwa nao mtabatizwa.+ Lakini kuketi upande wangu wa kulia au upande wangu wa kushoto si kazi yangu kuwapa, bali ni kazi ya wale ambao tayari wamebatizwa." Mark 10:35-41 - Sasa, tatizo ni nini? Kwa nini wanafunzi wengine wanamkasirikia Yakobo na Yohana? Wanafunzi wote waliamini kwamba Yesu alikuwa karibu kuanzisha Ufalme wa kidunia, na (kwa kweli akiwa Mfalme) angeweka watu rasmi ili watumikie wakiwa maofisa. Wote walidhani kwamba kazi hiyo muhimu ingewaangukia wao, wakiwa wafuasi wake wa karibu na wa kuaminika. Wale walioketi kwenye viti vya kulia na vya kushoto walikuwa na nafasi za pekee za mamlaka, na tu wale waliotegemeka zaidi kati ya maafisa hao walipewa heshima hiyo.