Power during Jesus Time

The Nature of Power
Military, political and religious power was extremely influential in determining the events of the world at the time of Jesus. Essentially, those manifestations of power were the might that determined the shape, form, and nature of the world in terms of its social order. Those who had religious power were able to assert their sway over others to gain personal and public benefits. The same concept is applicable to men with military power as well as political power. Oftentimes during the epoch in which Jesus lived, religious power earned one political power, which in turn was reinforced by the might of the military.
The ministry and environment of Jesus was at odds with the political power of his day. In this regard, Herod the Great was something of an antipode to Jesus in terms of the varying forms of power. Herod’s power came from the military and political might of the Romans. Whatever he did was considered right simply because of the power which backed his claims to the throne. Jesus, however, got his power from a more granular source: that of the people he stayed among and helped. Specifically, Jesus was able to get power by having the authority of the people (Pope Francis, 2017), which was buttressed by the fact that he was not too afraid or supercilious to go amongst them and deal with them directly in the streets. Most of all, his authority was supported by the fact that he practiced that which he preached. Not only did he tell people to live a life of humility and service, but he himself actually did that. Rulers such as Herod put themselves above the people and took no true interest in serving them.
Contrasting the ministry and environment of Jesus with those of Herod gives considerable insight into the way ordained ministers in the church should exercise power. Ideally, they should follow the example of the former as opposed to that of the latter. Specifically, ordained ministers should always make a point to follow their own teachings firsthand. They must do as they say and set the example for others to follow. There is no point to them telling people to do one thing while they live differently themselves. They have to focus on serving the community and gaining the authority of the people in the process by remaining in propinquity to them.
At this point it is difficult to identify gray areas in future ministry where it’s hard to tell if one is using one’s power inappropriately. Possibly the primary exception is situations in which there are people who are obviously at variance with the other ministers, as well as the rest of the congregation. For instance, it might become necessary to minister people in areas of extreme penury and with high rates of crime. In those instances it might be difficult to be as close as Jesus is in his assertion of power.
In order to deal with a situation such as this, it is necessary to remember the point of such a ministry effort—to help the less fortunate. Doing so would give me the impetus to continue with such an effort. Then, it simply becomes a matter of taking precautions. For instance, it is advisable to go into such communities with a lot of people. Furthermore, doing so might require communication with cell phones to access the authorities if any sort of help is needed. It also would be beneficial to gather as many male members for ministries in these type of areas as well.
References
Pope Francis (2017). Pope Francis’ daily homily.