We can learn how to be good leaders from the teachings and life of Jesus. For many of us leadership doesn’t come naturally. We don’t consider ourselves leaders. But everyone has a leadership role somewhere in his little universe. Whether in your home, job, school, or church, God calls each of us to be leaders, servant leaders. It sounds like an oxymoron, definitely paradoxical, yet in His wisdom Jesus not only taught that a good leader must serve, He demonstrated it.
Jesus’s Example of Leadership
As Jesus gathered his disciples into the upper room for their last Passover meal together, their Rabbi did the unthinkable: He took off His robe and knelt to wash their feet. The disciples were embarrassed and surprised. Peter refused at first. They needed help to understand, so Jesus explained what He had done.
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12-17 NIV)
Sometimes familiarity of a biblical story can blind us to the meaning of a passage. This story wasn’t just about serving each other, it was about serving God. Yes, Jesus told His disciples to wash each other’s feet but look again at the reason behind this teaching. Christ was not only demonstrating humble servant leadership but obedience to God. “Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Just as Jesus had obeyed the Father as He washed His disciples’ feet, He commanded His disciples to obey and follow Him in this servant leadership. This filters down through the generations of believers all the way to us. We must listen to the Father.
The Humility and Gentleness of a Good Leader
None of us can lead as Jesus did without the indwelling of His Spirit. One of the fruit of the Spirit is “gentleness” or “meekness”. The world would not consider these traits to be characteristics of good leaders. But the fruit of the Spirit of gentleness is not what it appears to be. Our English word does not do it justice. Look at the definition of the ancient word translated as gentleness or meekness.
Prautes. Meekness, but not in man’s outward behavior only, nor in his relations to his fellow man or his mere natural disposition, but an inwrought grace of the soul expressed primarily toward God. It is that attitude of spirit by which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and do not dispute or resist….prautes is getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, for the right reasons…. it is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness but in power. It is a balance born in strength and character (Key Word Study Bible NIV).
This gentleness exudes humble strength. You cannot attain this characteristic or Fruit of the Spirit without humility. Furthermore, we can’t surrender to God without humility. This quality must come first even before our faith. And as we rely more on Jesus, determined to serve our God, He nurtures in us this powerful meekness, a non-demanding heart, wise beyond its years by the empowering grace of Jesus.
The Sacrifices of a Good Leader
Grace is needed to lead. This has never been demonstrated better than through the life of Jesus. Not only did He wash His disciples’ feet, this leader exchanged His life for ours. How does this translate into our modern lives? What does a sacrificial leader look like today?
Not many of us (if any of us) will face physical death for the lives of those we lead, but good leaders do make sacrifices. In his article “17 Sacrifices the Best Leaders Willingly Make for Their Team,” author Scott Mautz explains, “Great leaders also know what to give up. True leaders make sacrifices and forego things employees don’t, shouldn’t, or wouldn’t.” Some of the sacrifices include:
- the spotlight
- time
- credit
- the need to always be right
These are powerful, yet they all require humility. We need grace to demonstrate such humility.
God’s Grace to be a Good Leader to Empower Others
Leadership isn’t just about leading. Leadership is about humbly empowering others, breathing life into their leadership and calling. Paul explained this in Romans:
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:3-8
Pray for eyes to see the gifts of those you lead in order to “fan the flames” of God’s gift in them. We are the body of Christ working together for one goal—the spread of the good news of Jesus and manifesting the Kingdom of God on this planet.
Servant Leadership
One day a mom asked Jesus if her sons could sit at either side of Him in His kingdom. This made all the disciples angry and stirred up their pride. I can just see Jesus, the humble, gentle, creator of the world shake His head.
Probably with a deep sigh, He explained that they would not be like the rulers of the day who cheated and oppressed their constituents. Jesus said , “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:26-28.
If we have been called into leadership roles, may we do so with humility and grace realizing that our leadership is not about us but about those we serve and our God. As we lead, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, the greatest leader of all.
Other articles on leadership:
10 Key Bible Verses on Leadership
“As we lead, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, the greatest leader of all.” Definitely.
Leadership Jesus style. Yes! That’s who I want leading me! Thanks Andy.
Yes. I love this. Well said, Andy.