Servant Leader

Introduction

I would like to tell a short story of two leaders. The first leader had drive and initiative to get what he wanted and pay the cost to get it. The second leader didn’t aspire to be a leader but sought to help others because they were passionate about trying to help others. Both leaders worked long hard hours and became prominent leaders in their organizations. The first leader had the attitude of do whatever it takes to climb up the corporate ladder. The second had the attitude of using the company’s resources and abilities to meet the client’s needs and remained focused on this aspect of the business.

The first leader amassed much money and accomplished many achievements and was known worldwide. The second leader gained much admiration from others and became famous worldwide. The first leader struggled with many personal issues and died a recluse, removed from all his accomplishments and fame. The second leader worked all the way up to their death, continuing the work they had such a passion for.

The first leader I was describing was Howard Hughes. If you know his story then you know he was a shrewd businessman that fought hard to accomplish all that he did and prove his worth to the world and in the end, his own personal demons broke him down and removed him from all that he had accomplished.

The second leader is Mother Theresa. If you know her story then you know the thousands of people’s lives that she helped with. Her passion for serving others is her legacy that remains well after she went to heaven. There is no doubt of her motives and her heart for serving others.

Howard Hughes sought to become the best by setting out for what he could accomplish. Mother Theresa simply wanted to help as many people as she could and ironically because just as famous as Howard Hughes.

I am sure you are wondering what these people have to do with our passage but they are polar opposites of leadership models. Howard Hughes used his influence, wealth, and any means he had to accomplish his goals to become the best. Mother Theresa was the opposite in not seeking to become the best missionary but to simply focus her passion and time towards helping so many people who lived in destitute poverty. Howard Hughes was not focused on serving others but serving his own interests. Mother Theresa spent her life helping others without trying to elevate her about the people she passionately served.

Trouble in the text

If we look into this passage and examine the argument amongst the disciples, we fine it centered around who was going to be next to Jesus and elevated above the rest of the disciples. Pretty bold move on James and John’s part. Even in the way they preface their request with, Jesus we want you to do whatever we are about to ask of you. Can you imagine standing next to Jesus, having witnessed who he is, and having the boldness to make a statement like this?

Jesus’ answer to their request changed the mood of the disciples group around him. Not only were the other disciples angry at the nerve of James and John Zebedee’s request but also angry at the nerve of James and John thinking them better than the others. James and John thought their request for Jesus was fair and they would do whatever was necessary. Jesus told them the suffering he would go through but even if they do go through the same, that is not how it works. You can’t put in a favor request to be put above others in the Kingdom of God.

The trouble here is that the disciples had the wrong view on leadership. James and John thought they were clever in beating the other disciples to the point of asking Jesus to be his right hand men. James and John wanted to be above the other disciples. The other disciples of course were not ok with this plan and became angry.

Not only did Jesus correct them on their view but told them you cannot ask this of him because those roles have already been determined. In other words, he told the disciples, you can’t call in favors or make special requests to become leaders in my group here. Yes, you may be going through the same things but that does not bring you up to par with being on the level of asking for leadership positions.

The disciples had the wrong view on how leadership worked in Jesus’ group. In their own society, it was not uncommon to have to bribe your way up or do things to gain special favors. Perhaps the disciples thought this group was the same way. Perhaps they mistook Jesus’ group for being just like any other group where you had to ask for special favors to gain what you wanted.

This was not the church model Jesus taught. How were they to fix their view on leadership in Jesus’ church?

Trouble in the world

Before we get into the solution, lets look at what this might look like today in our own context. As we saw in our brief story earlier, both models exists today. Even in the church politics, this still exists to some extent. While my point today is not to get into church politics itself but to only illustrate that both models still exist even in the church. My point being since the church is made up of human people, there are still people trying to work their way up by gaining favors and calling in favors or by politicking their way up the church leadership ladder.

While it is easy to see in the corporate world this same model of politicking and favors, there are some servant model leadership models also followed. My point being is that the church does not only follow one model and the rest of the world does not only follow one model. Both models exists in both settings, and we too face the same dilemma of what leadership model do we follow inside the church and outside the church. Which model belongs where? Should they be different depending on context or the same regardless of context?

We still have the same questions and challenges the disciples faced. While we may not be asking Jesus the same question James and John did, we are still guilty of trying to pray for favors where God may influence that job, that salary, that position, or some other role or life goal we hope to gain. I believe the same response Jesus gave the disciples, God may be speaking to us today. Don’t try to call in favors because you are a follower of Jesus. Look at your motivation. Are you building your kingdom or God’s kingdom?

We too need to take a hard look at how we view leadership and what model we are following.

Grace in the text

Luckily, just because the disciples were confused about how leadership in Jesus’ kingdom worked, that did not exclude them from the kingdom work and being leaders in their own kingdom work. Jesus modeled this leadership model of servant and shared with them this view is how it should be. He modeled the servant leadership model for them in focusing on the needs of others, including the disciples, and pouring himself out for others. Event to the point of dying on a cross to take away our the death our sin brings about. Jesus showed his disciples wisdom. Jesus showed his disciples power in working miracles and healings for others. Jesus showed them the way to life everlasting. These disciples carried on this mission of Christ and sought to help others. In looking over the book of Acts you can see the church sought to both further the mission field as well as meet the needs of the people by providing for the widows and orphans who had little hope.

In reading the book of Acts you see most of the disciples preaching, performing miracles and healings, and many other feats by God’s grace. The church faced adversity, yet the church still thrived by God’s grace. In the disciple’s shortsightedness, Jesus used the opportunity to teach them a new way of leading others by serving them. God’s grace brought a new way of leading that inspired others and truly showed the disciple’s world that God had brought a new way to lead forward. These disciples in turn served others who in turn spread the gospel news. You see this small band of disciples, no bigger than a Sunday school group, were part of God’s grace lighting a spark of hope for many who found none in their current worldview.

Interestingly enough, there are many unsung heroes whose names are not recorded but are part of spreading that gospel news of hope to new communities, new parts of the world. It all started here by learning that to serve others is to build the kingdom. It all started by this handful of disciples learning to to serve each other and the people they encountered.

Grace in the world

The same is true today. While we may hear stories of people who have impacted the world, there are many people who have impacted lives by serving others but simply continued the work of serving others. Mother Theresa’s story is one of many where people have sought to follow Jesus’ teaching here of being a servant to others

While we may see there are some less than ideal leaders in the world, there are also good ones whose purpose is to model Jesus’ teaching here. What you will find is that the more focused on being a servant to others, the less time you have to be focused on yourself and building your own kingdom. Ironically still, the more you serve others the more grace you will experience in your life. It is logical to think that if you pour yourself out into serving others then you will simply end up exhausted with nothing to show but in reality the opposite is what happens.

God’s grace works that way in the sense that the more you become a servant to the kingdom of God, the more you feel God’s grace filling you up and empowering you to keep serving others. Mother Theresa, despite her own poverty (by her choice), she still poured so much into others, even in old age, she never wavered somehow in this passionate mission to serve.

What I am expressing here today is that when you shift from your own self centered goals and dreams of climbing the ladder of life, and you center on serving the kingdom of God, the more you see grace working in the midst of the work of serving others.

In my own personal life, I have seen this grace at work over and over. Ironically, in my personal career, I have not aspired to be a leader, and personally am more comfortable just being a work bee, I keep ending up being put in a leadership role. What I mean by this is that my goal is to simply focus on the work and help others meet their needs and then by God’s grace, I end up as a lead, then a manager, then a director. The same has been true in the church. I only wanted to simply help in the church, yet I started leading a small group of teens on Wednesday nights which led me to helping in large youth group settings, preaching, and then becoming a pastor of a church.

My goal was never set out to become these yet this is what has happened. My goal was to focus on serving because it kept my heart and mind in the right place in these settings. God’s grace then moves others to see the results of servant leadership and then more responsibilities were given.

While I am not naive enough to say that there are not people who will take advantage of this servant model, God’s grace still works through this. Trust in God’s grace to work in your life as you shift to learning to serve others which serves in building the kingdom of God.