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A radically different kind of leadership
Luke 22:25-27
Leadership
From its central plaza the Romanian capital of Bucharest appears to be one of the richest and most magnificent cities in the world. Everything is built on a grand scale, calculated to impress even the most widely traveled visitor. But a closer look reveals a tragically different reality. Behind the facade of its grandiose public buildings are crumbling slums and crushing poverty.
Nicolae Ceausescu paid for this “movie-set” city by enslaving his own people and robbing them of their dignity. As Romania’s communist dictator, he ruled for decades, becoming progressively more obsessed with his own power and reputation. Eventually, his people overthrew his government and executed him. Ceausescu’s leadership style represents an extreme example of “the kings of the Gentiles” whom Jesus refers to in Luke 22:25.
Thankfully, most of the excesses of leadership that we see today aren’t so harsh. But all leaders are susceptible to the same human tendency to put pride, position and power before the good of the people they lead. Jesus observed this disposition in his disciples and countered it with strong correction. He taught them a radically different style of leadership, and, more important, he modeled it for them.
Although Jesus possessed awesome power, he didn’t use it to impress or lord it over anyone. He lived in quite the opposite spirit. Day after day, Jesus sacrificed his own comfort and desires to serve the people to whom he was sent. He wanted to show his disciples that leadership in God’s kingdom was all about servanthood, and not about power.
Yet after nearly three years of living with Jesus, the disciples still hadn’t fully absorbed this important principle. As they were eating their last meal together (John 13:1-17), Jesus humbled himself to stoop down and wash their feet. This act was dramatically inappropriate for the culture of the day. It embarrassed the disciplesčbut it helped Jesus finally get his message of servant leadership across to them. He concluded by saying, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
We also will be blessed if we do these things. Those of us who have leadership responsibilities now should be continually modeling our leadership after that of Jesus and other godly Biblical leaders. For those who are not leaders yet, the study of the principles of servant leadership could be part of God’s preparation in their lives.
When God does move us into places of leadership, we need to be constantly on guard against the sin of pride. There is something of the dictator in all of us, and it surfaces when we begin thinking of leadership in terms of position, power and recognition. Those who lead with this kind of spirit will soon stir up jealousy, division and all kinds of abuses.
By contrast, “Jesus-style” leadership is humble, loving and focused on the needs of others. When we follow God’s model, he makes us channels of his blessing to our families, friends and neighbors.
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