Leadership
– Servant style
UCB 3 min script
I was in
one of those meetings where the preacher goes and on and the more he went on
the more irritated I got, not because he was going on, but because he was
getting it so badly wrong. He was preaching from Luke 7 v 8 where the centurion
seeks healing for his sick servant. The preacher had obviously not read the
passage, or at least had not paid attention when he read it because he kept
saying that the Centurion said to Jesus that, ‘he could see that Jesus had
authority like he had authority.’ How
embarrassing, what the centurion actually said was that he was under authority and perceived that Jesus
was also under authority.
Jesus
saying he was under authority is a very interesting and enlightening fact, he was
telling us that the things he was doing were at the command of the will of his
Father and not his own will.
In Matthew
20 it’s interesting to see that there were those amongst the twelve disciples
who wanted to be in the top tier of leadership, and they asked Jesus if they
could be at his right hand and left hand, (actually they got their Mum to ask,
but anyway, I digress) But Jesus demonstrated a completely different style of
leadership, one I am afraid that the church as a whole still does not seem to
grasp, the style is called servant leadership.
Jesus
outlines the style very clearly, both in words and actions in Marks gospel,
chapter 9 verse 35, when he says if you want to lead or be the first, you need
to be the last, or rather the servant of all.
Then he demonstrates this very process as he takes a towel and a bowl
and washes the disciple’s feet. In the
account in John chapter 13 verses 5 Peter is very upset, he does not think that
master Jesus should be washing people’s feet.
But Jesus carries out this act to clearly underline and promote the
servant style of leadership.
It’s
helpful for us to understand who, in the culture of the time when Jesus was
here, would be doing the foot washing.
I’ve walked around in Africa quite a bit and I can understand the need
to wash my feet, even when I am wearing socks and shoes my feet still need
washing, my socks need changing and my shoes need shining because the roads are
so dusty. So who exactly would have had
the responsibility of washing feet in that culture? It would have been the job of the very
youngest, most junior servant, if the home did not have servants, then the
youngest child would do the job. I guess
now we can see how mind-blowing it would have been to the disciples to see
Jesus taking up a towel and washing their feet. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the
creator of all things, in fact the very reason why all things were created, is
now washing feet! It’s mad isn’t it, but
that is the kind of leadership that those who lead in the church need to
practice.
Being a follower of Jesus is unusual, if it’s
real it is counter-culture and so at odds with what people would think
normally, and that’s what makes it so fantastic. It is so very different; totally opposite of
what is the expected norm. The trouble
is we are so influenced by our culture and the way the world runs that we don’t
realise how different we are called to be. The early church had the same
struggle, as we can see in 1 Peter 5v2, ‘Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as
overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you
to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over
those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
’ Have a look at it and you’ll see the
words ‘serve’ and ‘not lording it’ (that is being the big heavy handed boss)
all in one sentence.
So you feel God has called you to lead, but its
servant leadership that he’s called you to and that is so different to what we
see in the world around us. But it’s
God’s way; this is the way he wants us to lead in his world. Are you ready to lead?
Adrian Hawkes
For UCB 3Min Scripts
W. 726
Editor: A. Brookes
