Benefactor

The term "Benefactor" appears as a title for those who hold authority over others among the Gentiles — and is set in deliberate contrast with how authority is to work among Jesus's disciples.

A Title Used by Gentile Rulers

At the last meal, with the disciples already disputing over rank, Jesus names the title and the system that issues it: "And he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and those who have authority over them are called Benefactors" (Lu 22:25). The word identifies how Gentile authority advertises itself; the saying continues by reorienting the disciples away from that pattern of lordship.