The Greatest Leader

I am convinced Jesus was the greatest leader the world has ever seen. His authority and power transcended the authority and power of any other leader. He told fishermen and a tax collector to follow him and they immediately began to follow him. Even evil spirits submitted to his authority and obeyed his commands. He commanded a dead man to come out of the tomb “and the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth” (Jn 11:44). From a small fishing boat, he commanded hurricane force winds to cease, and immediately the wind became still, and the waves became calm, almost like glass. Even the forces of nature submitted to his authority.

Jesus promised “… I will build my church, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Twenty centuries later his church encompasses the globe. When he was executed on the cross for disrupting the status quo, there were only 120 disciples that remained faithful to him. Today the best estimates of the world’s population are 8.1 billion people (2024, United Nations Population Division) and 32% of the world's population claim to be followers of Jesus. That’s about 2.6 billion followers of Jesus, making Christianity the world’s largest religion (The International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2024). 

Lead Servant

The risen Lord, Jesus the Messiah, has 2.6 billion people that follow him as their leader and Lord. No one else in human history has had that many followers. But Jesus not only has the largest number of followers, he also has a unique leadership style. Jesus leads and trains his followers in the Jesus Way. To do this, the greatest leader in history, assumes the role of a “Lead Servant.” Uli Chi, a friend and a faithful follower of Jesus, introduced me to this terminology (Uli Chi, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2024, pp 118-120; and Becoming Lead Servants, DePree Center, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2018). Uli uses the words “lead servant” to describe the leadership style he finds in Scripture and encourages others to embrace it. I agree and believe it best describes Jesus’ leadership style. Uli describes this way of leading in his book, The Wise Leader:

I like to think of leaders formed through suffering as “lead servants.” That phrase is helpful because it places the emphasis on our role as servants rather than as leaders. Even the popular phrase “servant leader” puts grammatical if not the actual emphasis on being a leader rather than a servant. So, I’ve suggested reversing the grammar to put the focus where it belongs. Further, the adjective “lead” suggests temporal priority rather than positional authority. In other words, a “lead servant” is someone who goes first, rather than someone who is merely in charge. (pp 118-119).

If the world has ever witnessed an authentic lead servant, it would have to be Jesus. The gospel reports of Jesus’ actions and teaching confirm his role as the lead servant. The Gospel of John includes details of the Last Supper that make Jesus’ role and identity as Lead Servant particularly poignant. 

¹ Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. ² It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. ⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. ⁶ When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” ⁸ “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” ⁹ Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” ¹⁰ Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
John 13:1-17

Think about what happened that evening. The disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover meal which commemorated the night the angel of death passed over the homes of the Hebrew slaves that had the blood of a Passover lamb smeared on its doorposts. The angel killed the first-born sons in the homes of the Egyptians, including Pharaoh’s eldest son (Exodus chapter 12 and 13). Jesus, God’s Son, knew he would die on a cross the next day. He was about to fulfill the prophesy of John the Baptist when John saw Jesus and exclaimed, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). Jesus was God’s Passover lamb.

The Last Supper was both a momentous and sacred event. As the disciples gathered for the Passover meal, there was the proverbial elephant in the room that everyone recognized but no one wanted to acknowledge. Each disciple had walked through the filthy streets of Jerusalem that day. Most of those streets were not only unpaved and dirty; they also served as open sewers that were foul in the fullest sense of the word. To eat, they had to sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor around a low table. Their filthy feet, however, could not be tucked away, unnoticed and untouched. No, those messy feet would be inches from the food and each other. They could easily soil themselves and those they were sitting next to since there was no servant present to wash everyone’s feet. Filthy feet were both a matter of hygiene and social etiquette. Each disciple recognized the problem but said nothing. They were all wondering, however, “Who will wash our feet?” Normally, the person with the least social status would assume this humbling and disgusting task. Consequently, there probably would have been an uncomfortable silence as the disciples prepared to celebrate the Passover meal with Jesus.

Unexpectedly, Jesus “got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him” (vs 4-5). Jesus voluntarily did the dirty work that others sought to avoid. They hesitated, but not Jesus. He grabbed the towel and basin without pausing and began to wash his disciples’ feet. His attitude and actions were that of a lead servant. I visualize Jesus doing this messy job enthusiastically and joyfully, not half-heartedly or reluctantly. 

A Teaching Moment

A few hours later Jesus would be arrested, tortured, and then crucified the next day, but he did what he always did. He served others as a lead servant instead of exercising his authority and power in a self-serving manner. After he had finished washing their feet, as their Teacher and Lord (Master), Jesus clarified what he wanted his disciples to learn from this experience.

¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

Jesus said, “Do as I have done to you.” Jesus modeled the attitude and actions of what Uli Chi calls a “lead servant.” He still was their leader and had all power and all authority, but he exercised his authority in ways that were best for others and at great cost to himself. He embodied what Uli calls a “lead servant.” The ultimate Teacher of truth who had all authority as the Lord of all, intentionally embraced the menial and humble task of cleaning the filthy feet of those he led. His greatness was expressed by serving others. His apprentices in Kingdom living are compelled to follow his example of what leadership looks like in the Kingdom. The King and Ruler of all is the ultimate Lead Servant. Those two roles and identities are seamlessly united in the Kingdom of God. 

The Suffering Servant

Uli indicated that lead servants are molded through suffering. He wrote, “I like to think of leaders formed through suffering as ‘lead servants’” (The Wise Leader, p 118). Before Jesus began his public ministry he fasted for forty days and was tempted by the devil in the Judean desert. The climax of his ministry was the cross, the greatest suffering in human history. Not only did he suffer the physical pain of crucifixion; he suffered separation from the Father as he paid the price for our sins. 

God’s plan was to bring salvation to all humanity through Abraham’s descendants, which collectively became the nation of Israel. After Abraham had demonstrated his faith by his willingness to offer that which was most precious to him, his son (Isaac), God promised him, “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me” (Gen 22:18). Israel was God’s servant, but ultimately, it was through another descendant of Abraham and another servant of God that God brought salvation. The prophet Isaiah identified this servant as the “suffering servant” (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), Jesus the Messiah. The prophet graphically described Jesus’ crucifixion many centuries before the birth of Jesus. 

Isaiah 53:4b-6, 8-9

⁴ And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, 
a punishment for his own sins!
⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him
the sins of us all.

⁸ Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
⁹ He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.

God did not desire Abraham to sacrifice his son (Issac) because God would make the ultimate sacrifice by offering his Son, the Suffering Servant. The ultimate Lead Servant was the Suffering Servant, Jesus. Becoming a lead servant will cost us, but the ultimate cost has already been paid in full by God (Challenge 1 C).

More on God’s Servants

Many of the leading characters in the OT and many in the NT are identified as “servants of the LORD” or as “my servant” when God is speaking. God called Abraham ‘my servant” (Gen 26:24). The people of Israel are called “my servants” (Lev 25:55). The Levites were called “your faithful servants” (Deut 33:8). Moses was called “the Servant of the LORD” (Deut 34:5). Elijah said, I am “your servant” (1 Ki 18:36). God called David and Job “my servant” (1 Chr 17:7, Job 1:8). The LORD called Isaiah the prophet, “my servant” (Isaiah 20:3) and collectively called all the prophets “my servants” (Zech 1:6). In the NT, Paul said he and Apollos “were only God’s servants” (1 Cor 3:5). The Scriptures call us disciples, but disciples are first and foremost servants of the LORD. 

However, the job description for servants does not include being doormats. Nor does it prevent us from exercising power and authority. Jesus certainly did not hesitate to use his authority when he drove the money changers out of the temple. Servants, by definition, must accept responsibility. Yet servants submit to those with greater authority. Think about King David. Serving and submitting to God was originally intended to be the first and most important duty of the king. In other words, the king of Israel was called to be the “lead servant” in Isreal. 

Think about the implications of what defines a good (lead?) servant in Jesus’ parable of the three servants:

¹⁴ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. ¹⁵ He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. ¹⁶ “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. ¹⁷ The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. ¹⁹ “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. ²⁰ The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ ²¹ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ ²² “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ ²³ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ ²⁴ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. ²⁵ I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ ²⁶ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, ²⁷ why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ ²⁸ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. ²⁹ To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. ³⁰ Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:14-30

Servants play very important roles. They are not passive doormats. They may be given significant authority and power. Sometimes they must make important decisions and exercise leadership responsibilities. They may occupy prominent positions. But servants also are accountable for their decisions and actions.

The Jesus Way

Typically, in the world in which we live, people associate leadership with greatness and power. Successful leaders have an elevated status, authority, power, responsibilities, wealth, and many perks not available to most people. They occupy the corner offices on the upper floors of towering buildings, surrounded by assistants and subordinates eager to follow the leader’s instructions. They may commute to and from their office in the back seat of a chauffeur-driven limousine and fly to out-of-town meetings on a private jet. In our culture, leaders inhabit a different world characterized by privilege, power, and prestige. 

But this stereotypical snapshot (above) of what great leaders do may distort reality. The greatest leader in history modeled and taught a very different understanding of greatness and leadership. He said:  

⁴² “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43-45

The King of the Universe humbled himself and entered the world as one of us and served us as the ultimate Lead Servant. He did not lord it over us but served us. He modeled and taught a different understanding of greatness. In the Kingdom, the leader sacrificially serves those they lead, even to the point of cleaning their dirty feet and dying on a Roman Cross. Obeying his teaching and following his example is the essence of joyful service, because that’s the Jesus Way, the way things are done is God’s Kingdom. 

THINKING IT THROUGH

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for
orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

THE TRUTH: Jesus humbly and joyfully served others. This was an essential part of his mission and an expression of his holiness.

YOUR CHALLENGE: Jesus sends his disciples to represent him by humbly and joyfully serving others. This reflects Christlike character and is an essential part of our mission. 

The Scriptures, questions, and notes are for group discussion and personal reflection. Our goal in Tier II is character transformation which requires sustained effort and growing faith. Thinking through the questions can help you understand this challenge at a deeper level. We encourage you to focus on those questions that you find most interesting or helpful. This is not a test, but a tool to help you respond to the challenges.

Related Scriptures

Luke 12:42-48 ⁴² And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. ⁴³ If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. ⁴⁵ But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? ⁴⁶ The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. ⁴⁸ But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.  

2 Samuel 7:4-5, 11b-29
⁴ But that same night the LORD said to Nathan,
⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared.

¹¹ᵇ “‘… the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings!  ¹² For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. [Skipping verses 13-15] ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” ¹⁷ So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the LORD had said in this vision.

David’s Prayer of Thanks

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And now, Sovereign LORD, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign LORD? ²⁰ “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign LORD. ²¹ Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant. ²² “How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! ²³ What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. ²⁴ You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O LORD, became their God. ²⁵ “And now, O LORD God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. ²⁶ And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever. ²⁷ “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ ²⁸ For you are God, O Sovereign LORD. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹ And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign LORD, it is an eternal blessing!

Genesis 26:23-24 ²³ From there Isaac moved to Beersheba, ²⁴ where the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.”

1 Corinthians 3:5 ⁵ After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

Questions

You are encouraged to use these questions for group discussion or personal reflection. Respond to the questions that are most relevant or interesting to you (I urge you to write your responses in a journal or notebook).

1. We considered holiness in Challenge 7 A. You may want to review that before you respond to this question. We have repeatedly returned to Philippians, chapter 2, when considering the mystery of Jesus being both fully God and fully human. Phil 2:7 (NIV) states Jesus took “the very nature of a servant….” Isaiah 53 calls Jesus the Suffering Servant. Since Jesus, by nature, was a servant, do you think it is appropriate to consider God to be a servant in his very nature? And if so, should we consider a servant mentality to be one aspect of holiness?

2. Review Matthew 25:14-30, The Parable of the Three Servants” and/or Luke 12:42-48 and compile a list of qualities and duties of a good servant based on those passages.

3. The narrative for Part B introduced the concept of a “lead servant,” but the term is not used in Scripture. Tell why or why not you think the concept is consistent with Scripture.

4. Do you find the term helpful or not? Explain your answer.

5. We frequently return to the definition of a disciple being “an apprentice of Jesus in Kingdom living.” In Challenge 10 we have linked serving to the role of what a disciple does and thus a quality of Kingdom living. Does this make it easier or more difficult to follow Jesus as his disciples? Explain why or why not.

6. Use the concept of lead servant or servants in the relationship between husband and wife in a way you think would be most constructive and helpful in building a strong and loving marriage.

7. Apply the teaching and example of Jesus regarding serving to one situation you currently are dealing with. What will serving others in that situation cost you?

8. I have suggested that God wanted the king of Israel to be the lead servant, even though he had all the power and authority to do as he wished. Think of a relationship in which you have power over another person. They are expected to do as you tell them. What would change if you sought to be a lead servant in that relationship? 

9. What person besides Jesus do you look at as a model servant?

Copyright © 2024 Don Waite

All rights reserved.

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