"Be careful with authorities, for they do not befriend a person except for their own sake. They appear as friends when they benefit from it, but they do not stand by a person in his time of need."
At first glance, this is a continuation of the previous mishna. There we were told that those who work for the community, though they may not be able to learn Torah, will be protected and will succeed, as long as they work for the sake of Heaven. Despite this, they are warned to distrust and be cautious of the authorities, who do not work for the Sake of Heaven, and who will use people and then discard them (Raav).
However, this teaching was already presented in the first chapter. There it says:
Shemaya and Avtalyon received the transmission from them [the previous generation of scholars]. Shemaya said: Love work, despise high position, and do not become close to the authorities."
So what is the difference between these two teachings?
Ain Levanon points ot that Shemaya and Avtalyon are discussing the Jewish government , because that is what was in place in their times. Our mishna is referring to the Non-Jewish authorities, because that is what surrounded Jews in the times of Rabbon Gamliel the son of R. Yehuda Hanasi.
With this in mind, we can understand the difference between the two teachings. Shemaya and Avtalyon teach us that we should pursue work and disdain honor, including the honor of participating in the government. The government is run by Jews and even a frum Jew can become close to them, for after all they are his brothers. That's OK, except that one should eschew honor. Therefore the term for closeness that Shamaya and Avtalyon use is "tisvada", which has a connotation of familial closeness (See Ruth 2:1). As we repatedly discussed in the commentary to the first chapter of Avos, as the politics of the Jewish Commonwealth grew more and more distant from the Davidic ideal, the Rabbis gradually abandoned the idea that they should participate in the building of a Jewish polity that is based on Torah, Temple worship and Public Welfare and, after experimenting with various communal substitutes, at the close of the second Temple period they transitioned to champion the individual's role and a personal path to Torah and Hashem. But for Shemaya and Avtalyon, the government is still neutral. You can work with them but such is not the way of the pious.
Rabbon Gamliel, on the other hand, knows that closeness with the Roman government is impossible. His askan has no illusions. But a communal worker might be misled into thinking tnat an utilitarian, working relationship can still be - I help them and they will hepl us. After all, they are people just like we. Rabbon Gamliel therefore cautions the askonim: "Be careful with authorities, for they do not befriend a person except for their own sake. They appear as friends when they benefit from it, but they do not stand by a person in his time of need."
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