Jesus' Teaching on Nondomination: The Basics -

Jesus said,

You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant.
– The Gospel of Mark 10:42-43²

There are several crucial lessons to learn from this.

1) The manner in which the rulers relate to their subjects is by “lording” or exercising authority. In other words, they use coercion, force — domination.
2) This dominating behavior is to have no place among Jesus’ followers.
3) In place of “lording,” Jesus’ students are to serve others and to recognize that true greatness is found in being servants.

Also, Jesus clearly understood that the principles related to domination and nondomination are not restricted to one sphere. He pointed out domination in politics and warned against it in the community of his followers. In truth, Jesus’ teaching stands against domination in principle, which indicates that the principles apply wherever there’s a possibility for domination to be manifested.

This article will primarily focus on the basic principle and briefly consider how it applies in a few example areas.

…you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
– The Gospel of Matthew 23:8-12

To be a master is to be in a position over another, but Jesus taught that we shouldn’t exalt ourselves over others, but should serve others, which obviously can’t include using any sort of coercion. It should also be remembered that while Jesus is a “master,” he subverted the role of master by rejecting domination and living an example of service. As he said, “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28).

Other leaders among Jesus’ followers were to imitate Jesus in leading by example rather than dominating. 1 Peter says to the elderly believers, “shepherd the flock of God…not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock,” and then it says to all believers, “all you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another” (1 Peter 5:2-3, 5). Paul also said, “be filled with the Spirit… subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ” (Eph. 5:18, 21). This theme of mutual subjection of each believer to the others echoes Christ’s words that “all of you are brothers” (Matt. 23:8). No one is to lord it over another; no one is to dominate.

This nondomination principle is a clear consequence of the golden rule, which is also the principle found in the second great commandment. Consider these passages:

As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.
– The Gospel of Luke 6:31

Jesus answered, “The greatest [commandment] is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
– The Gospel of Mark 12:29-31³

For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
– Galatians 5:13-14

If we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will treat them in the same way we would like to be treated. Of course, we all want others to treat us well and to do what is genuinely in our best interest. We should do the same to them, which is to say we should serve them.

The fact that this excludes domination is made even more plain in the negative formulation of the golden rule, which is found in a number of ancient texts, including the book of Tobit⁴ and the Didache.⁵

And what you yourself hate, do to no man….
– Tobit 4:15

…whatever you wouldn’t want to happen to you, don’t do to another.
– Didache 1:2⁶

Coercion is inherently something you don’t want done to you, since it is to be compelled against your will. Domination is simply the use of coercion to subordinate another. You don’t want to be dominated, so you shouldn’t dominate others. This applies to everyone.

The reality of Jesus’ teaching of nondomination is illustrated well by what he said to do when faced with domination. He said,

“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.
– The Gospel of Luke 6:27-29

The time when violence can seem most justified is in response to violence, but Jesus recommended meeting violence with nonviolence. He didn’t say to run away or to shrink onto your knees and beg the oppressor to stop. Offering the other cheek is neither violent nor passive. It is making a statement that you will not respond with violence, that you won’t make use of force. It invites the attacker to see their brutality as unjustified and gives them an opportunity to make a choice as to what kind of person they will be. Will they hit again, even though they can now see how unjustified another strike would be, or will they heed the voice of moral goodness and cease their oppressive behavior?

I hope you can see that what Jesus taught regarding these principles of domination goes well beyond simply saying we should be nice people. It employs a method that is designed to awaken a moral sense in both the oppressed and the oppressor. But the implications of these principles go far beyond how to handle a moment of violent confrontation.

Politics

We’ve already seen one thing Jesus said about domination as it applies to politics, but it’s worth quoting again.

This statement combines a characterization of the nations as making use of domination together with an injunction for his followers to reject domination. Another of Jesus’ statements does something similar.

Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”
– The Gospel of John 18:36

By saying, “If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight,” Jesus characterizes the kingdoms of this world as inherently violent. And of course, violence is one of the most obvious forms of domination. Jesus’ own kingdom, on the other hand, he characterizes as not of this world. His kingdom is of a different character; it is nonviolent and rejects domination.

This shows that Jesus’ kingdom and the kingdoms of this world are fundamentally incompatible. Jesus’ kingdom is a voluntary non-violent society, while the kingdoms of this world are compulsory political orders based on violence. In other words, the kingdoms of this world are “states.” The sociologist Max Weber defined the State as follows:

“A compulsory political organization with continuous operations will be called a ‘state’ insofar as its administrative staff successfully upholds the claim to the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in the enforcement of its order.” Economy and Society, p. 54⁷

To be clear, this is saying that a state is a political entity that successfully maintains its rule by violence. This is known as a “monopoly on violence” and is recognized by political scientists and sociologists as a defining characteristic of states. So, the modern characterization of states and Jesus’ characterization of “the kingdoms of this world” are in agreement. They both regard violence as an integral part of the State/Kingdom. What Jesus adds, though, is that the violence inherent in the kingdoms of this world is not, in fact, legitimate, and it can have no place in his kingdom.

Contrary to popular messianic expectations, Jesus didn’t attempt a violent revolution to save his people from the oppression of the Roman State, nor did he attempt to establish state power (he even rejected it when he could have had it, see Luke 4:5-8 and John 6:15). Even when state violence was used against him, he didn’t respond with violence, but turned the other cheek, as it were, even submitting to torture and death. At his arrest, when one of his followers used violence, Jesus said,

…Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.
– The Gospel of Matthew 26:52

Jesus lived out the principles later expressed by Paul,

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.
…
Repay no one evil for evil.
…
Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
– Romans 12:14, 17, 21

Jesus pointed to state violence as an example of what not to do, and he expressed that his kingdom operates by wholly different principles from those of earthly kingdoms. The texts we’ve considered so far show Jesus’ opposition to domination in the spheres of politics and the community of his followers. And it should be clear that both applications are based on a basic principle that applies to all areas. The broad applicability of nondomination can be seen in the early community of Christ-followers after his resurrection. We’ll briefly consider just a few texts.

Economics

All who believed were together, and had all things in common. They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
– Acts 2:44-45

The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all. For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need.
– Acts 4:32-35

These texts show a community living by principles totally different from the principles of the kingdoms of the world. Economic and class domination, which is so common in earthly kingdoms, is here described as abolished in the community of Christ-followers in Jerusalem. This is simply applying the principle of loving your neighbor as yourself to money and property. If someone has possessions and doesn’t share with a brother in need, he fails to love (1 John 3:17). And when one chooses to leave their fellow in misfortune out of selfishness when they could have helped them out of it, they become complicit in the misfortune. Is this not a way of exalting oneself above another and even manifesting a species of cruelty and domination? But again, the early community of Christ’s followers practiced economic nondomination, and they did so in obedience to Jesus’ teachings (Mark 10:21-31; Luke 12:13-34; 14:33).

Nationality, Enslavement or Freedom, Gender

For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
– Galatians 3:26-28

Much could be said about each of these categories, but this one passage concisely and beautifully brings them together. The main point is that in Christ, the domination usually exercised against others based on their nationality, status as enslaved persons, or gender is abolished. Again, Jesus taught against domination in principle, so how could it be justified for a professed follower of Christ to lord it over another because of their nationality? How could it be right to lord it over someone who has had the misfortune of being treated as property or being subjected to forced labor? How could it be in keeping with the principle to love others as yourself for a man to claim a position of dominance over a woman?

This doesn’t exhaust the applications of the principle of nondomination, but it is enough to show both the basic principle and how its genuine application results in a radically different society than what we find in the kingdoms of this world. In Christ, none should attempt to subordinate another, but all should subordinate themselves and serve one another in love.

7 Footnotes

Written and published on Sept. 13, 2026, the new moon of the 7th month. ↩
All quotations are from the World English Bible unless otherwise indicated. ↩
Brackets added for clarity. ↩
While not in the biblical canon used by Protestants, the book of Tobit is included in the biblical canons of most Christians. ↩
The Didache is a text produced by the early Jesus-movement at roughly the same time as the texts known today as “The New Testament.” ↩
This is my own translation. ↩
You can read Weber’s book Economy and Society here. ↩