Text. Our entire series on Leadership Issues has been based on Matthew 20:20-28. Each lesson has highlighted one or two verses in the story. This time, we will focus our attention on verses 26-27. These two verses give the central message of the story which is “Leading Through Service.” Once again, we will read the entire text. 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” 24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NAS)
Audience. Jesus addressed His remarks to “whoever wishes to become great among you” and “whoever wishes to be first among you.” As Lenski points out, the human will is involved. The same verb, thelo, is used in both Matthew 20:26, 27 (thelei, present indicative), and Mark 9:35 (thelei, present subjunctive). Commenting on Mark 9:35, Lenski writes “It is a question of the will: ei tis thelei, one must determine, set his will up upon being first [or great]. The thing does not drop into one’s lap, it requires will, effort. But this thing of being first is open to anyone (tis); we may all be first” (391). To those who have the desire to be great or to be first, Jesus points the way. The way, as we soon will see, is paradoxical and, therefore, very challenging.
Preview. When Jesus gives His reply, we see Him as the Master Teacher at work. In short, pithy and profound statements are used to challenge His disciples both to great achievement and to the right kind of motivation and accomplishment. As we study His answer we will discuss types of leaders, an inverted order of greatness, meeting needs, and ways to lead by servin
Types of Leaders
Explorers. Many people are leaders in the sense that they are explorers. They are the first ones to climb the mountains, or to discover some new territory, or to try out new methods. As we said in lesson one, they are “ahead” of the group. Clearly, they are sometimes in a very lonely position. The very nature of their task demands this. Ordway Tead draws a contrast between the guides and the explorers in mountain climbing with these comments, “They [the explorers] are, no doubt, the greater climbers; they may be compared to the seers and prophets of the world. The world needs both kinds. But the opportunity for the guide type of leader in a democracy is particularly great” (269).
Guides. James and John were not trying to be explorers. They wanted to be great and first among the disciples. It appears that they wanted to have positions of honor and to rule over others. Thus they wanted to be either “a head” or ‘the head” of the group. We might think of a head as a guide. The guides help others climb the mountains. They are coaches, counselors, teachers, and are people-centered. They help people cooperate toward the goals which they come to find very desirable. There is a self-sacrifice in this which the explorer sometimes loathes to make.
Jesus’ Reply. Jesus was a prophet and He highly honored other prophets, but His attention here is focused on His audience. He addresses those who want to be “a head” or “the head,” so He told us how we can lead through service. His answer really highlights the role of the leader as a guide. He speaks these truths in terms of being a “servant” and a “slave.”
An Inverted Order
The Contrast. The world’s idea of greatness is completely inverted by Christ. The world thinks of greatness in terms of position, honor, and power. Jesus declared that Christian greatness is represented by service. The great one is the servant of those whom he leads. A. T. Robertson writes “This is a complete reversal of popular opinion then and now” (162). Allow me to use triangles to illustrate this point. The world draws a triangle and puts the great man at the apex with the people on the bottom horizontal line. The Christian triangle is turned upside down. The great servant (and the apex) is at the bottom with the people on the horizontal line at the top.
The Paradox. Christ was the master of the paradox. Here, He lets us know that we can step up by stepping down! Jesus linked being great with being a servant and being first with being a slave. Now, we will examine these concepts further.
Servant. Whoever would be great (megas) must be the servant (diakonos). According to Robertson, “This word [diakonos] may come from dia and konis (dust), to raise a dust by one’s hurry, and so to minister. It is a general word for servant and is used in a variety of ways including the technical sense of our ‘deacon’ in Phil. 1:1. But it is more frequently applied to ministers of the Gospel” (162). Lenski writes “A diakonos is one who is intent on the service he is rendering to others. Thus greatness in the kingdom is measured by the readiness and the amount of blessed service rendered to Christ’s people. It makes no difference whether they reward and exalt us for this service or not” (791).
Slave. The person who would climb a step up from greatness to being first must step down! As Lenski states, “This idea [wanting to be great] is carried to its climax. One wills with a holy will to be ‘first,’ above even those who are ‘great’ in the kingdom. The way in which to attain this height is to be ‘your slave,’ doulos, the humblest and lowest of all servants who actually slaves for others in the kingdom and who, despite all his slaving, is ready to remain without praise or honor” (pp. 791-92). Robertson writes “The way to be ‘first’ (protos), says Jesus, is to be your ‘servant’ (doulos), ‘bond-servant’” (162).
Servants Who Lead. Servants and especially slaves are under the orders of their masters. With respect to Christ, the answer is clear and without further definition. We are to be completely under His orders at all times and willing to do His bidding. Given this, we may still ask, In what sense are we to be the servants and slaves of the people we lead? With regard to the people we lead, our working agreement with them defines our relationship. For example, a pastor may have a defined working relationship with the board which includes matters of authority. However, we are speaking of something which is deeper than this. Are we as leaders under obligation to the wants and frivolous desires of the people we lead? Our example is Christ. He did not do everything people wanted. Rather, He did what was in their best interest. I believe this is our obligation. We are servants and slaves of the best interests of those we serve. At times this requires some serious and profound thought. We do not have the strength, time, energy, or obligation to be on-call for every frivolous demand. We do have an obligation to serve people in such a way that their long-term and highest needs are met. The apostle Paul both declares his freedom and his willingness to serve others. He writes, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more” (I Cor. 9:19). Paul is willing to make any adaptation to people under the Law and people not under the Law in order to win others to Christ. He would not, of course, go so far as to compromise the gospel. Moreover, the choice as to which needs are met is still his.
Meeting Needs
Basic Principle. The fundamental principle in leadership is that people are served as their best and real needs are met. These needs are many and varied. Pastors and churches must focus their attention on needs and determine how to meet them. As needs are met, attendance and the impact of the churches will grow. If needs are not met, the influence of the churches will diminish.
Psychologists. Various needs are emphasized by psychologists. William Glasser, for example, stresses two basic needs, “the need to love and be loved and the need to feel that we are worthwhile to ourselves and others” (9). When we stop to think about it, we realize how important these two needs are. People must find responsible ways to meet both these needs. We as Christian leaders can point people to God who loves them and whom they ought to love and who puts the highest value on them. God so values people that He gave His Son to die for them. Moreover, we can develop our Christian community in these virtues, into caring and esteeming societies. These characteristics will strengthen the bonds of the people with the rest of the body of Christ. Another psychologist, A. H. Maslow, dealt extensively with human needs. According to him, the basic needs of man are as follows:
Physiological needs
Safety needs
Love and belonging needs
Esteem needs
Self-actualization or self-fulfillment needs, and cognitive needs, or the needs to know and understand.Maslow believed that the lower needs normally are satisfied before the higher ones. However, there were exceptions. He indicated that all needs are just partially satisfied, higher needs are more unsatisfied, and sometimes the higher needs are satisfied before the lower needs.An interesting study is to search the gospels to see what needs Jesus met. We see him, for example, healing the sick. This is a definite meeting of physiological needs. By carefully reading the gospels, we probably can see that all of the needs mentioned by Maslow were met by Christ.
Altruism. One of man’s needs is to be unselfish. Unless we acknowledge this, we can become cynical. The cynical person does not believe in any genuine expressions of altruism. Such a view is hopelessly pessimistic. We understand that people are selfish and that, at best, they act altruistic only some of the time, but those moments are to be prized, encouraged, and honored. People in the church give for a lot of reasons. Some of them are selfish, but we must remember that meeting the needs of others is long-term. Tithing, giving to missions, and meeting local needs all depend on this. Our highest example is Christ who gave everything including His life for us.
Strength. Our leadership cannot be sustained without force unless needs are being met. When we are meeting needs, our leadership will be stronger. We will be stronger when all or more needs of people are met in greater depth. Also, our leadership will endure longer when the best interests, not the short-term interests, of the people are met. If we only meet superficial needs, the people will soon depart from us.
Ways to Lead Through Service
Will of God. One way to lead through service is to help others find the will of God. This is largely a matter of helping them find themselves– their talents, their ideals, and their ministries. The Spirit distributes ministry gifts, but He usually acts in harmony with natural talents. Within limits, God wants all people to actualize all their potential. Helping people find self-fulfillment within the will of God is a legitimate way to serve them. After years of working in administration with people, I have reached the following conclusion. Although there are exceptions, most people (including ministers) will decide to occupy the role which most enhances their ministry. They will usually stay in a given role only as long as it does. This is not contradictory to the thought that most believers would do the will of God even if it did not enhance their ministries. We just normally see the will of God in terms of what blesses what we are doing for Him.
Helping Others Achieve. A related point is that we serve people when we help them achieve great things. Fritz Crisler, a coach, put it this way, “Coaching is the job of getting men to play up to the best of their natural endowments.” According to Bits and Pieces, April edition, a good example of helping others achieve is Charles Percy, “Back in 1958, when Charles Percy was made president of Bell and Howell, he was still under 40. He had come up through the ranks, arriving a few short years before as a trainee. An energetic reporter decided to see if he could find out how Percy had risen so fast. He asked as many people as he could find who had known Percy from the very first days why they thought he had succeeded so quickly. Always the answer was the same: ‘Because from the very beginning, he showed a knack of being able to get people to make the most of themselves.’” Over the years, we had hundreds of people come to work with us in our ICI University International Office. Many came with great skills already developed, but others came without developed skills. One of our joys was to help them develop attitudes, work habits, and skills that hopefully have stayed with them throughout their lives.
Include Discipline. Without discipline, people are short-changed. Group life demands guidelines. When guidelines are omitted, people will ultimately despise you. The writer of Hebrews says, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives” (12:6). We may regard this as a hard saying. We do not want to be disciplined, but once we have been, we can look back on it with joy. When we feel responsible, we have a much healthier outlook on ourselves and life.
Provide for Participation. People want to be a part of something and to share genuinely in its progress. A sense of belonging and mutual respect develops. Not only do people want us to serve them, they want to serve as well. This illustration about service was in Bits and Pieces in July, 1973, “The great violinist, Nicolo Paganini, willed his marvelous violin to Genoa– the city of his birth– but only on condition that the instrument never be played upon. It was an unfortunate condition, for it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded, it begins to decay. The exquisite, mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a reminder that life-withdrawn from all service to others– loses its meaning.” We serve well when we inspire others to serve. When we realize this, we will not be reluctant to call upon others for help in meeting the needs of people around them.
Lead With Vision. Vision is an essential ingredient of leadership. Vision must be accompanied by concrete plans to implement what is seen, but implementation begins with clear insight into what is needed. Ordway Tead writes, “The bigger the setting and the meaning in terms of which each leadership situation can be imaginatively conducted, the stronger will be the leader and the more compelling his inspiration. For where strong faith in the particular effort is present and is imparted, it has its own inner power of infection. It has a compulsion which is transmitted, for it pervades every act of the leader and gives him that which others long to have” (259). Perhaps we should temper Tead’s comment with the thought that the vision must not be so large that followers have no hope of implementing it. In other words we as leaders must work within the range of what is possible. All too often, however, people of small insight wrap the cloak of impossibility around objectives that with faith are entirely achievable.
Gratitude. We as leaders must be quick to appreciate, applaud, and honor others when they perform well. The observant leader will look for moments to do this in sincerity. If he is not sincere, it will just be manipulation. The manipulator eventually stirs up resentment. We will have ample opportunities, however, to complement others in all sincerity
Conclusion
The ministry of Jesus focused on need. We read in Luke 5:30-32, “And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?’ And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’” (NAS).
Thus, the challenge to us who would be leaders is to meet needs. By meeting needs we serve those who would follow us. Obviously, there is a cost in meeting needs. This is why Jesus began his response to James and John by focusing on the price of leadership. However, when we see people happily serving the Lord, the price is well worth it.
