Learning to lead as the servant of all is a lifelong journey

By Dean Collins

Once the argument begins, it tends to spread to additional topics. And at the heart of the argument, there is usually a power struggle. Someone has to be in charge and generally, whether or not we will admit it, we prefer that person would be us.

I suppose personality type and our experiences influence how we deal with authority and with conflict. But we also must consider that our sin nature has much to do with how we respond to someone or some group telling us how we should live and who is in charge.

Hope . . . and fear

Consider the Upper Room. The disciples who were with Jesus at the Last Supper brought many ideas and experiences with them as they walked up the stairs to their intimate dinner with Jesus. Like all Jews in Jerusalem, they didn’t like Rome being in charge. Rome may have claimed to bring peace, but things didn't feel that way on the ground in and around Jerusalem. Furthermore, many in the Jewish community saw the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership. And of course, no matter what chair you were sitting in, you hoped for a new day with a better way forward. The desire for a Messiah who could fix it all and bring real peace and flourishing had been awakened by the life and ministry of Jesus.

The disciples entered the Upper Room with hope but also with many questions about the things Jesus had been saying. They also brought some fear with them because they had experienced the exchange between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities.

Leaders . . . and servants

The first argument Luke highlights is about which one would betray Jesus. At dinner Jesus had announced that one of them would betray him, igniting murmurs about who it would be. It wasn’t long before the argument drifted to who would be regarded as the greatest. Apparently, the teachings of Jesus don’t always stick in the minds and behaviors of his followers. This discussion of greatness had come up before in conversations with him.

The response from Jesus was clear. His answer reinforced all of his previous teachings about his kingdom. Everything about the kingdom of God runs counter to how the world operates: “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. . . . But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the one who serves.” Had the disciples forgotten how Jesus was always seeking to serve and help others? Hadn’t Jesus likely already risen from the table and washed their feet?

So who is in charge in your home? Your job? Your club? Your town or country? You may have a title that says you are at the top of the ladder, but are you?

In one way this conversation seems tricky. Life is filled with structures. No matter how good the structures, they are not perfect. Yet we are called to submit to and respect authority. This assumes that someone will often be over us in authority. But on the other hand according to Jesus, no matter our title or position, we are called to live out our role as a servant of all.

Systems of the world . . . and of Jesus

Whenever tensions arise at work, at home, in a marriage, or in some other organization, as followers of Jesus we must consider whether we are behaving according to the systems of the world or according to Jesus. Putting Jesus as the center and Jesus as Lord creates a level place for our discussions. What he wants and how he sees the world is our best guide and our final authority.

My guess is the harder we dig in on issues and topics, the more likely we are fighting less against each other and more with who is ultimately in charge. Learning to lead as one who is the servant of all is a lifelong journey. And the moments we experience his lordship and lay down our words and our struggle for power are the moments we will find our greatest peace and joy. They will also be the moments when the world sees something different and will wonder, Who is this Jesus?

Your time with God’s Word
Luke‬ ‭22:24-27‬ ‭ESV

Photo by Worshae at Unsplash.com

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