Omnipotent I am the one Icarus I'll touch the sun Omnipotent Icarus I'll eat the sun Lorna Shore, "Sun//Eater," track #3 from Pain Remains, Century Media Records, 2022
I am closer to God than you are. Directly or indirectly, this is the ignorant idea some pastors base their entire theology upon and our culture essentially forces us to believe. Religious American culture leads us to believe that those who possess a career as a pastor are morally superior than those who are not. This, of course, is no groundbreaking issue; it has existed throughout the entirety of church history. For a hefty portion of the past two millennia, the pope actually had political authority. A man who, as my mother would say, still put his pants on one leg at a time.
We had an authoritarian pastor at the church I attended in middle/early high school. The same man who is responsible for my questioning of the Christian faith in the first place. He understood his career as a pastor as a “calling” for him to fulfill the work of the Lord. But he also believed he was farther along in the faith than anyone else in the church. His prayers carried more weight than those of his congregants. Why, was it the soft piano tune he asked the worship lady to play each week during his long-winded prayers?
The truth is, pastors are reinforced by the concept that they are closer to God than we are. Church culture breeds the idea that religious leaders have a closer connection to God, because they have been “called.” There is an ancient example of the dangers of this thinking. There are words in the New Testament that advocate against such beliefs; I will get to those later in the post. I would like to start with the mythological story of Icarus.
Icarus, the Bird with a Broken Wing
The ancient Greek myth starts with the imprisoned Daedalus and his son, Icarus. Daedalus builds wings for himself and his son so they could fly away from Crete, where they were imprisoned. When the time to escape comes, Daedalus hands Icarus his wings and gives him a warning: do not fly too close to the sun, as the wings are fashioned with beeswax. Icarus does not heed his father’s warning and flies too close to the sun, melting his wings and causing him to fall to his death.1
The tale of Icarus is rich with symbolism. Obviously, the primary theme is the negative effects of hubris or excessive pride. Had Icarus used the wings responsibly, as he was instructed, he would not have died such a tragic death. But his false sense of pride got to him and made him ignorant. And thus, we now have the idiom, “don’t fly too close to the sun.”
When pastors receive their M.Div (or simply get hired on, with no educational training, as with my arrogant pastor), they are handed a certificate of responsibility. That is, to teach the Bible as it was written and to adopt the ministry of Christ, characterized by loving all people (not just their congregants). But suddenly the words of those bestowing the award become the warning of Daedalus and the pastor becomes Icarus.
Pastoral Icarus Syndrome is real. Pastoral egos become so conflated with ideas that they are morally superior, they are God’s chosen, and they are closer to God that they turn a blind eye to the suffering of their congregations. And eventually, these religious leaders fly too close to God that they burn up and fall from grace. Look at what happened to the fundamentalist stalwart Johnny Hunt.
Mark 12:38-40, a condemnation of authoritative religious leaders
Although the tale of Icarus is never mentioned in the Bible, it is entirely possible that some of the characters/writers of the Bible would know it. The most popular version of the Icarus story originated around 8CE, fifty years or so before Mark’s Gospel. Jesus issued a stark warning to those suffering from Pastoral Icarus Syndrome, “These men will be punished most severely” (Mark 12:40b NIV).
Mark 12:38-40 showcases Jesus’ disdain for prideful religious leaders. Read the full passage below:
As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the kind of Torah-teachers who like to walk around in robes and be greeted deferentially in the marketplaces, who like to have the best seats in the synagogues and take the places of honor at banquets, who like to swallow up widows’ houses while making a show of davvening (prayer) at great length. Their punishment will be all the worse!” (Mark 12:38-40, CJB)
There is much to unpack in these short three verses. A helpful comparison would be Matthew’s account in chapter 23 of his Gospel. The chapter is a full discourse from Jesus speaking against the religious stalwarts of his day. Space, unfortunately, does not allow a full treatment of Matthew 23 and hardly enough to discuss Mark 12:38-40. I will try my best to address this verse concisely.
Jesus essentially lays out a list of grave actions that the religious leaders actively participate in. Many of these accurately pertain to contemporary pastors as well; wearing the finest of clothes, having the best seats (or “Pastor Parking ONLY”), taking places of honor in society, preying on the vulnerable, and making long-winded prayers in public. Most commentaries heavily emphasize Jesus’ criticism of the scribes who “swallow up the widows’ houses.” After some research and critical thought, I understand why.
In the biblical age, women were viewed as more vulnerable than men. Possibly the most vulnerable people of society were widows. The Old Testament, in addition to Judaic legal and prophetic traditions, emphasized the importance of respecting and protecting widows (e.g., Ex. 22:21-24; Deut. 24:17-22; Isa. 1:17; Jer. 7:6).2 Therefore, Jesus is condemning the religious leaders of committing a horridly grave sin. But he does not stop there; he adds that they cover such actions up by making shows of their prayers.
Whether Jesus means the scribes literally or figuratively took advantage of widows, there is a certain underlying message in his statement. That is, it is almost defining of religious leaders to prey upon the most vulnerable members of society. Think about it. People have faith because they want to make sense of this thing called life. People want to believe in something greater than them; this is true of all of us. We all want to make sense of the suffering in this world and in our own lives. And oftentimes, in our weakest moments, that is when we turn to the church.
But what do we get? Told we need to tithe to receive salvation? That if we make any mistakes we will burn in a fiery place called hell? That God hates non-heterosexual people? That the person on the stage is closer to God than we are? Friends, being a pastor does not earn you God’s favor. It does not mean they were chosen to complete God’s work. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great pastors out there! But they are no closer to God than you are. They are not called to be above you, they are called to be your servants.
Conclusion
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day needed to eat some humble pie. The religious leaders of our age, and throughout history, need to as well. They are not saints. Jesus derided them for abusing their power and for preying on vulnerable people. This problem continues today. Look at the sexual abuse scandals in the Southern Baptist Convention. Look at Jimmy Swaggart, Johnny Hunt, and TB Joshua, among countless others. Church history is marred by the putrid stain of pastors and priests sexually abusing people who are looking for a solution to their pain and suffering; instead, they got more. And Jesus informed such sorry religious “leaders” that their punishment will be all the worse (Mark 12:40).
Icarus flew too close to the sun. He crashed. Religious leaders often fly too close to God. Some even become trapped in the delusion that they are God. But as sure as Icarus’ fate was sealed, so are the fates of the pathetic Christian leaders who have and continue to take advantage of their status, ignorantly viewing it as favor. The sun continues to shine brighter on such scandals. And church attendance, the holy grail of Christian leaders, continues to plummet.
Will the church wake up? Will pastors ever read the words of their own messiah? Or will they continue to be defined by Pastoral Icarus Syndrome?
- “Icarus”. GreekMythology.com Website, 17 May. 2022, https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Icarus/icarus.html.
2. Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012. 998.