Supercar Checklist
The 2022 Maserati MC20 is Maserati’s first attempt at a solo supercar in decades. Did they succeed? Let’s consult the Supercar Checklist:
Speed: Running at its 202-mph top speed, Maserati’s test driver would like to assure you that yes, its 621-horsepower twin-turbo V6 generates plenty of speed.
Rarity: Maserati is only cranking out six or seven of these a day, and with an asking price well over $200k, they won’t crowd any parking lot anytime soon.
Looks: Fierce debate leaves the MC20 somewhere between “Breathtaking” and “Jaw-Dropping.”
Novel Technology: Pre-chamber ignition can be found in the 3.0-liter V6, but not your neighbor’s Ford Windstar.
BONUS ROUND: It’s Italian and has Italian seats and an Italian carbon tub and scissor doors and just one wiper blade.
Easy. It’s a supercar.
Your Supercar Checklist may vary, and that’s alright. Everyone looks at supercars a little differently.
Everyone looks at leadership qualities differently too, which is what prompted the Psalmist Asaph to write a scathing review of worldly leadership in Psalm 82. He used the term “gods,” in quotes, which was another term for judges and rulers of the time, and which offers a handy comparison between these worldly rulers and God himself. Asaph evaluated the effectiveness of judges and rulers in his time against the Godly attributes of good leadership. They didn’t measure up.
“God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “gods:” How long will you [plural] defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:1-2)
Asaph urges anyone in a leadership position to consider the source of their power: God himself (see Romans 13:1-7 for the institution of civil governance as ordained by God). So there should be no confusion about where to look for good leadership qualities. Yet, like so many leaders throughout history, they were tempted to use their role for getting, not giving. They were crooked, corrupt, and compromised.
Meanwhile, people were suffering under their rule. A whole nation of people needed order, peace, and just governance. So Asaph urged these leaders again: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4)
This is what leaders should be doing. It’s what Asaph longed for because he wanted to see God’s love and mercy ruling on earth.
Do you share this longing? When you see people suffering from leadership that’s too weak, too overbearing, or ineffective in any way, does your heart hurt for the people who are suffering? When something clearly doesn’t measure up, take a step back and see what those measurements say about you and about God. The checklist for God’s leadership in Psalm 82 says that God doesn’t use his power for his gain. If you’re among the weak, poor, and oppressed, you can run to God and present your claim to him. He listens, and his compassionate heart is moved by people who are broken and defeated. And, as the final verse of Psalm 82 says, the God who moves with mercy also moves with total power, for “all the nations are your inheritance” (Psalm 82:8).
God has never promised that worldly leadership will match his checklist for it. Yet he has filled the Bible with encouragement and calls to action for anyone who is moved by compassion and mercy to advocate for the “weak, poor, and oppressed.” If you feel moved, getting involved could be a way of further understanding God’s compassionate character.
The Maserati MC20 comes with plenty of technology too. It features a front-end lift that raises the front ride height a couple of inches – essential if you ever want to drive this ground-hugging supercar anywhere – and a rearview mirror that can display a live feed from the rear camera – essential if you want to see anything behind you. Perhaps Maserati engineers know that “Unbearable Impracticality” has also been on most people’s Supercar Checklists for decades.
