JESUS INFLUENCED OTHERS BY SACRIFICE AND SERVICE
I’ve done a fair amount of research about leadership, and there are a multitude of definitions about what it is. It’s hard to quantify and generalize something intangible when there is such a variety of examples. That’s probably because there’s such a variety of humans, with a wide array of backgrounds, passions, and motivations. The common denominator, in most healthy cases, is that leaders are influential. They affect the thoughts and behaviors of those they lead. There are, of course, many unhealthy examples of leadership…involving various expressions of force (manipulation, intimidation, competition, fear, etc.). Leaders who are admired & respected & followed understand that the purpose of their role has to do with their followers, not themselves.
Nobody understood and modeled this more effectively than the unschooled carpenter from a back-water hick town called Nazareth. You could say that Jesus “never forgot where He came from”…in more ways that one, I suppose. He came from a blue collar family, in a little town of no influence. This undoubtedly shaped some of His patterns, and I’m sure it was intentional. But really, He was the Crown Prince in disguise…identifying with, loving, and sacrificing Himself for His subjects. Wow, that sounds like a hundred movies & books doesn’t it? It’s the Great Narrative that’s been plagiarized ever since.
Leaders in our world, both at the time of Jesus as well as today, tend to follow a completely different
paradigm…and it seems to be alive and well among Christians as well. It is believed by many that leadership is about doing great things, exercising power, and controlling the behavior of others…all for the benefit of the leader or the leader’s cause. Worldly leadership is about creating advantage for self, family & friends, and personal agendas. Worldly leaders believe that the vision & power & influence God gave them was meant for their own benefit, and hijack it accordingly…but Jesus’ opinion is that leadership is about serving others, and that greatness is obtained by personal sacrifice.
These concepts apply to all of us, really. We may believe in God, but we often act as if everything depended on us. Like that old phrase “pray as if everything depends on God, and act as if everything depends on you.” I think that’s stupid advice. I think we should act a lot more like God’s actually in control…that’s the counsel of scripture…we’re just to impatient and pigheaded to yield. Mother Teresa reminds us that we cannot do any great things for God…only small things with great love.
Jesus’ entire life demonstrated unyielding faith that His Father was in control of His mission and legacy…and turned the results over to Him. Man, do I need to hear this! Do you? What we need to always remember, and get smacked in the head with when we forget, is that this world is His not ours…and that our mission in this short-life is to build His Kingdom not ours.
Amen. That takes some pressure off me and refocuses my soul on my Master. I know what I’m going to do about it….what are you going to do about it?
Luke 22:24-27
“[Jesus’ apostles] began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.”
