I know! This title sounds almost blasphemous! But
honestly, I sometimes feel like we are getting more and
more of our leadership paradigms from a business world and model than from
Jesus whom we proclaim. Our reality, as missionaries, is that we are called to
a ministry, not a business, to a vocation, not a paycheck. There are no career
ladders to climb, other than the way down the rungs of service.Sometimes it’s tempting to adopt a business model in missions because it simplifies things, it’s easier to cut our losses, distance ourselves from the pain and it is so much more politically correct. For followers of Jesus who are called to be leaders, here are some observations on the topic of leadership. You may say, “yeah, well that was Jesus, for crying out loud! That’s not me…” And sure, we cannot know the depths of people’s hearts or cause a storm to be still at the sound of our voice. But Paul is not bashful to call us to be imitators of Christ. His Spirit lives in us and therefore, we will be amazed at how He is able to work in and through us. But it does presuppose leading His way, not ours and the results will be in His hands, not ours. So how DID Jesus lead?
1. He bore much responsibility
There is a sense of weightiness about Jesus’ leadership.
His task was the greatest any human was ever sent to do. Accepting that was a
big part of Jesus’ service to us. His disciples never really understood the
gravitas of his mission, even up to the very end of his life. They napped through
his greatest moment of need in the Garden of Gethsemane. This can be true for
us too. There is a loneliness to leadership but unlike Jesus, we do not have to
bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are part of his body and can
find rest and reprieve there. We need to find people with whom we can share
burdens.
2. He needed time to pray and fellowship with
the Father
No comment! Well, allow me just one: If Jesus, the Son of
Man, needed to spend many hours in prayer talking to the Father, how much more
do we? In modern terms, he balanced being alone with God and ministry to people.
3. He invested in a few disciples
Jesus taught the masses but invested in the leadership
training of a few. He spent much time, sharing life with 12 men, going deep in
his teaching and applying it to them specifically. They learned by watching him
do. Jesus, the Word of God through whom all things were made, chose 12 men to
fulfill his task. What? Such a small plan for influence? More is not always
better…as Jesus demonstrated, but multiplication was the key.
4. He delegated
Jesus sent out various groupings of disciples to do what
he did. He did not go with them or oversee them closely but let them make their
own experiences and mistakes. He empowered flawed people with his task. He was
all about building his church through weaklings in order to show God’s power
and glory. Can we release control, believing that the message is more powerful
than the messenger? It’s not about us, but about the message of the Gospel.
5. He met physical as well as spiritual needs
Jesus was not an academic in his ivory tower, nor a
preacher that spent most of his time at his desk. He led by going out and meeting
people’s needs (physical, emotional, spiritual), sometimes all at once,
sometimes one need at a time. He always prioritized what was ultimate, without
ignoring what was immediate.
6. He knew how to party
He delighted in the world he created by going to places where
people were gathered to celebrate. He led by living a full life of joy! He was present
at weddings and dinner parties, enjoying good wine and making friends and good company
out of sinners.
7. He knew how to receive the service of others
Jesus led by allowing others to serve him. Whether a
woman washing his feet with her hair and tears, Martha serving him food, people laying
their cloaks down before him or the women with him at the cross, he received
their humble acts of service freely. Do we allow others to help and serve us?
8. He was not above touching the broken
Jesus broke all social norms and touched the
untouchables, leading by example and courage. Leadership is not about
maintaining the status quo, rather humbly realigning outward realities with God’s
heart, wherever possible. If something structural or cultural is in the way of
God’s mission, it needs to go. And, as a leader, if God has given you the
position to do it, you should! There are no casts or holy cows, only God’s holy
will!
9. He spoke truth
A lot of Jesus’ leadership involved speaking the truth
both in public and private settings. He was not afraid of confrontation and
could get angry about the right things. He rebuked sin and spoke harshly to
hypocrites. This is an aspect of leadership we sometimes shy away from for fear
of being controversial. But peace is not always the best state to pursue if God’s
honor is not being defended.
10. He knew how to apply God’s Word to every
human heart
With Jesus, there is no cookie-cutter approach to people.
He led by challenging every individual in a different way, according to the situation
and context. This is true wisdom! To know how God’s word uniquely applies to
every heart. We should strive to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word and
theology and seek opportunities to help others apply it to their diverse
situations.
11. He made people hungry and thirsty for more
of God
Jesus’ leadership had a more-ish effect of people. This
is what he also commanded us to do: to have our speech seasoned with salt. We
are to make people thirsty for God. But warning: good leadership will sometimes
make others feel uncomfortable because salt stings where there are open wounds.
Sometimes our words will even be the flavor of death to those who are
perishing.
12. He lived on a mission
Jesus had a sole purpose and everything he did funneled into
that purpose. It was no less than God’s plan of redemption for the world. This
makes a good leader sometimes sound redundant. Don’t you ever talk about
anything else than God’s kingdom or saving the lost? There may be specific
things God is calling us to pursue. “For such a time as this” may be a phrase
to ponder for yourself and your leadership. What is God calling me to do here
and now?
13. He did not defend himself
Jesus led by silence. He was silent in front of his
accusers, bearing rejection and shame because he knew God was his ultimate
defender. He was both strong and weak. This is probably one of the hardest
things for us to do. We are tempted to protect our own reputations, our territories,
our spheres of influence. Can we let those go for the sake of Christ’s kingdom?
Hmmm…Preach to the choir!
14. He understood his suffering as part of God’s
plan
Jesus led with an eternal perspective on the here and
now, especially when it involved suffering. Submission to God and drinking the
cup of God’s wrath was the only way to his exaltation. Jesus has seen the
result of his suffering and is satisfied. Can we trust that the sufferings we
take on for Christ’s sake will bear fruit, even if we can’t see it yet? A good
leader needs to be able to live it and point others to the hope of this truth
as well.
15. He forgave others even though they were
unwilling to repent
Jesus led in forgiveness. The most powerful moment of his
servant leadership is the scene on the cross when Jesus forgives his assassins.
There will be many moments in the life of a leader when someone unjustly
opposes or publicly “crucifies” you. It will take nothing short of Jesus in you
to respond in the way Jesus did. We are so weak and often so unable to respond
like this. Because we are not perfect like Jesus, we will need to lead by repenting
of our failures to others and in willingness to forgive even those who are not
yet willing to repent.
