S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, “Are you a leader?” Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, “No,” and returned the application, expecting the worst.[1] In our Old Testament passage for today, Ezekiel talks about the leaders of his day. If they were filling out that college application, each of them would have said, “Oh yes! I’m dripping with leadership.” These days, we are all looking for leadership, and if we are leaders, we are trying to understand it. Either way, our passages for today lay out for us God’s ideas for real leadership—what it is and how to use it, and how real leadership is often different from how our world thinks of it.
First, real leadership knows who’s in charge. In our passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus knows
1. that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father, and
2. that the Father had given all things into his hands, that he had come from God and was going to God.
Though Jesus has God’s full authority, still he recognizes it’s God’s authority. Jesus’ leadership begins and ends with God.When people ask me if we can have dinner some time, I almost always say something like, “Sounds great. Let me check with my social planner,” by which I mean, Cynthia, because we all know that she’s really the one in charge of our family’s schedule. In another sense, though, really what I’m recognizing is that she and I are in this life together, and I’m not just going to tell her what to do—like that has ever been a good idea! In a deeper sense, before we were married, we both had strong relationships with Jesus Christ, deep and vital wells of living water, and we both know, God is why we are together and who we want to honor with our life together. When our kids ask why we have rules in our house, we say, “Because…” but really our parenting and family choices flow from a desire for God’s love and healthy relationships to become real. Our marriage works because we know that God started this, that we are seeking God day by day, and that God helps us love well even when it’s difficult.
Second, with Christian leadership, integrity is everything. To put it another way, what we do has to flow from, and be in synch with, our relationship with Christ. In the quick, but meaty, work, Leadership by the Book: Tools to Transform Your Workplace, the authors write “I was having dinner one night with one of my oldest and dearest friends. He’s in the hotel business, and has helped create more five-star properties than anyone else in the industry. While we were eating, my friend noticed people waiting to be seated, and no one on the staff seemed to be taking care of them. Suddenly he jumped to his feet, approached the waiting people, and began to seat them. When he came back to the table, I asked, ‘What were you doing? This isn’t even one of your restaurants.’ My friend said, ‘I just couldn’t stand seeing guests waiting there and no one helping them. If I hadn’t done something, it would have bothered me all night.’”[2] This hotel operator didn’t take care of people because of the money he received, he lived the life of hospitality. In the same way, Jesus understands that to be a shepherd means serving the sheep, not being above them, but being for them. So he takes off his outer robe and washes their feet, so they will understand that humble service flows from knowing Jesus. Jesus lived the life he calls others to live. That’s integrity.
After the young woman had sent in her college application, to her surprise, she received this letter from the college: “Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower.” One of the things I think is interesting about this story is that I can’t decide whether the college response is for real, or whether they are “tongue-in-cheek” complimenting the young woman on her honesty and integrity. I suspect that the young woman is in reality a leader, because in my experience leadership is something we all do, and that (as Jesus shows) humility is vital leadership trait. Whether we are leading our family or leading a business, whether we are leading in our friendship circles or leading ourselves, we are all leaders. So the real question is not “Am I a leader?”, but “How do I lead?” One of the challenges of our day and age in America, is that most of us have bought into the world’s version of leadership—that leadership is a top-down thing, that to be in charge is to get all you can while you can. I suppose that’s ok if we live in a world where we are all in it for ourselves. But is that the world we want to live in? Is that the world God wants us to live in? Through Ezekiel, God chastises the shepherds who are in it to take care of themselves rather than to take care of the sheep, and God is going to model being a good shepherd. In Jesus’ death on a cross, Jesus modeled true, servant leadership. His outer and inner realities were completely in sync. Jesus was obedient, not in it for himself or appearances, not trying to build a mega-church or impress people. Jesus was in it for you and me, and Jesus is calling us to become true servant leaders too. The best part is that Jesus didn’t just die to give us an example, but rose so that He could be with us wherever we are, to trust in his strength and guidance when our resources and friends are running away, to trust that as we open our lives and hearts to Jesus’ Presence, we can be transformed from the inside out. But Jesus knew there was something incredibly beautiful and powerful that would happen when true servant leaders joined forces, we would become church…and change the world with the grace of God. And with Jesus’ help anything is possible.
[1]Told by Darren Ethier, www.SermonCentral.com.
[2]Ken Blanchard, Bill Hybels, and Phil Hodges, Leadership by the Book: Tools to Transform Your Workplace (NY: William Morrow & Company, 1999), p. 51.