According to Webster, “ambition” has two meanings. First, it is “an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power.” Second, it is “the desire to achieve a particular end.”
It is interesting that the word “ambition” does not appear in the Old Testament, and it appears only three times in the New Testament. It appears twice in the 3rd chapter of James where it is coupled with the word “selfish.” In James 3:14 we read, “…if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” In James 3:15 the apostle adds that jealousy and selfish ambition is “earthly, unspiritual and devilish.” Then in James 3:16 the apostle uses the phrase “selfish ambition” a second time. He writes, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there will be disorder and every vial practice.” The word ambition appears a third time in Romans 15:20. This is the only use of the word ambition in scripture that appears without the modifier “selfish.” In Romans 15 Paul writes that his “ambition” is to preach the gospel , but not where Christ has already been named, lest he build on the foundation of another, but to preach it to those who have never heard it. An ambition to preach the gospel to those who have never heard it is certainly not selfish, anything but. From these three examples it appears that ambition is every and always wrong if it is nothing more than “an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power” and that ambition is at least somewhat acceptable if it is “the desire to achieve a particular end.”
What more can we say about ambition?
First, we ought to note that followers of Christ are not exempt from “selfish ambition.”
Take the case of James and John the sons of Zebedee. According to Mark 10 Jesus and his disciples were on the road to Jerusalem when James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
This request certainly smacked of “selfish ambition,” and it must have been a source of considerable embarrassment to those members of the early church who greatly desired to hold the apostle’s in high regard. Indeed, when Matthew tells the story, he is careful to say that it was “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” who came to Jesus and asked him to let James and John sit one at his right hand, and one at his left in his kingdom.
We may reasonably ask, “Which is the more accurate telling of this story?”
Almost certainly St. Mark’s version is the more authentic. We know that for three reasons. First, because we that St. Mark was written before St. Matthew and before St. Luke. We know this because both Matthew and Luke reproduce almost all of St. Mark’s text, not just thought for thought, but “word for word.” Not only so, but when one or the other departs from the text of Mark, the other invariably follows it. There is a second reason that we believe St. Mark’s telling of this story is the more authentic. Scholars are generally agreed that when any two gospel texts reporting the same story diverge, the harder reading is to be preferred. It is certainly harder to think that James and John could have been so ambitious for themselves, as to think that the mother of James and John were ambitious them. Finally, we believe that St. Mark’s version is more authentic because we know the ambition that lies in our own hearts. As the man said, “When we reach down into ourselves, we often dredge up that which is unworthy to be spoken of.”
I think that for most of us there is a certain point in life, after which ambition is not so keen as it once was, but, for many of us, that point occurs later rather than sooner.
That leads to a second point: Selfish ambition is a threat to community.
James 3:16 declares that, “… where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there will be disorder and every vial practice.”
Matthew’s story about the ambition of the Zebedee family is a perfect illustration. Matthew reports that as soon as the disciples of Jesus heard the request made on behalf of James and John, “the ten were indigent with the two brothers.”
Twelve is a symbolic number in scripture. There are twelve tribes in Israel. Jesus appointed twelve to be with him. By the way, those who hold that Jesus had no messianic consciousness find the twelve to be hard to explain away. Why would Jesus assemble a little Israel around himself if he had no messianic consciousness?
This is one of two times in scripture that a division is permitted among the twelve disciples. A second occurs after Judas betrays Jesus, and the eleven disciples go to Galilee to the Mountain, and Jesus appears to the eleven. (Matthew 28)
The twelve is a symbolic number. The twelve disciples of Jesus represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve is the number of completion. Only two things can divide the twelve—betrayal and selfish ambition.
I recently spoke to a man whose company is failing, he is fearful of being “downsized.” He told me he was surprised at the way people he had long considered his friends had started to treat him. After listening to his story, I told him about the wisdom of the Old Sailor. The Old Sailor said that when a ship starts to sink the tendency is for everyone on it to become a rat, and rats will do anything to get off a sinking ship, even if it means drowning other rats. The Old Sailor said that the person of integrity must be like the captain of the ship, who remembers his humanity, and that of others, and often gives himself to save the passengers and crew.
Third, we ought to note that “jealousy” is often a motive for “selfish ambition”.
Indeed, jealousy is so powerful a motive that those affected by it often exercise a kind of reverse ambition. When they find it impossible to achieve a status equal to that of those whom they regard as their direct competition, they are perfectly happy to see the competition knocked down to their level.
No doubt there are many examples of those who are trying to scramble up the corporate ladder by climbing over the failure of others, but the corporate scenario is not the only scenario in which jealousy rears its ugly head.
Perhaps you remember the story of two harlots who came to Solomon for his judgment. One said, “Listen, my Lord, I live in the same house with this other woman, and I gave birth to a child. Then three days later, she gave birth to a child. One night we were alone, and no one else was with us, and there were no witnesses. And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it. Then, at midnight, she sneaked into my room while I was sleeping, and took my son from beside me, and then she laid her dead son in my arms. Early the next morning I got up to nurse my child, and it was dead. I was grieved, but then when the son came up, I looked, and it was not my child. She insisted it was, but it was not. Naturally the other woman contested this story, and denied it, and claimed the living child for herself. And Solomon said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And Solomon said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” Then the mother of the living child cried out, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it.” But the other woman liked Solomon’s plan. She said, “The child shall be neither mine, nor yours; let the king divide it.” Then Solomon saw the truth of the matter, and he said, “Don’t slay the child. Give the living child to the woman who would spare its life, for she is the child’s mother.”
This story is often told to illustrate the wisdom of Solomon, but it also illustrates the roll that Jealousy plays in ambition. It is human to weep with those who weep. It is Christian to rejoice with others when we ourselves are weeping. (Romans 12:15)
Fourth, selfish ambition is against God. According to James 3:15 ambition is “earthly, unspiritual and devilish.”
Selfish ambition is earthly because heaven will not tolerate it.
Selfish ambition is unspiritual, because the truly spiritual man wants only what God wants, and God is not a God of confusion. When God appoints a leader he is to be followed. Perhaps how you remember that according to 1 Samuel 24 David refused to harm Saul in the cave at Wildgoat’s Rocks even though Saul sought his life. Why? Because he regarded Saul as “the Lord’s anointed.”
Selfish ambition is devilish. No doubt James was familiar with the ancient tradition that Satan was once a member of God’s heavenly court, who fell because he could not stand playing second fiddle to God. It was Milton who put the famous quote into the mouth of Satan: “It is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven.” But devilish ambition it is not just about the devil. The truth is that anyone whose opposes God because of selfish ambition is on the side of Evil. Indeed, it is perfectly possible to have ambitions not for one’s self, but for another, and still be on the side of Evil. In Mark 8:31–33 RSV we read how Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter—who was ambitious for Jesus and his kingdom, and also for himself, took Jesus aside, and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men.”
I hope you understand when I say that Ambition can be selfless, and still be selfish ambition.
5. Selfish ambition is a red herring.
You know what a red herring is. It is a false goal, a false start, a waste of time and energy. In mystery novels, criminals often lay down a “red herring” to misdirect the efforts of those who seek to bring them to justice.
In Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 the writer relates how he pursued a red herring. He writes:
I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, man’s delight. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Jesus said, “What shall it profit and man who gains the whole world and looses his own soul?” And a sign in my mother’s kitchen reads, “Just one life, ‘twill soon be passed; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
In our next session together I want to speak of “Worthy Ambition.” I believe that there are many worthy ambitions in life, but let me note here that the only worthy ambition expressly and specifically noted in the New Testament is Paul’s ambition to preach the gospel where it has never been preached. (Romans 15)
That sets up a contrast. Many a rich person has everything, and dies with nothing. And many a missionary—or other servant of Christ has died with nothing, and has all things.
The Story is told about a missionary who returned from Africa on the same boat with Teddy Roosevelt in June of 1910. He had been sharing the gospel in the Congo for thirty years. T.R had been shooting more than 500 animals for the Museum of Natural History in British East Africa for 14 months. The ship was greeted with a brass band and a parade. The Missionary noted the band was not for him, and he had twinges of jealousy. Then a little voice in side of him said, “Remember, you are not home yet.”
He was not home yet, but neither are we, and some of us, at least, still have time to consider our ambitions.