What can we learn from Jesus as a leader?
Matthew 5:21-22“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”
John 8:31-32Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Leaders help to define reality for their people. They help those they lead develop a worldview and perspective that enables them to interpret life from the eternal vantage point of God’s truth. The truth, even when difficult to hear and accept, sets people free from ignorance and deception. Jesus is truth and sets the standard for truth. If we follow that truth, we will be free from the false promises that enslave most of the world.
John 5:19So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
John 15:5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Leaders must submit themselves to the ultimate leader, God.
Mark 3:14Then he selected twelve of them to be his regular companions, calling them apostles.
Mark 6:7He [Jesus] called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits.
Leaders need to develop teams in community. They share life and responsibilities, gaining strength from their mutual encouragement and accountability. Leaders know that the differing gifts, attitudes, and experiences of team members also compliment the others and provide balance and support.
Matthew 7:24-29“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Leaders should teach with insight and practical wisdom. They take time to understand the truth and to communicate in ways that those they lead can understand and follow.
Matthew 4:1-4Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
John 8:46“Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?”
Luke 9:58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
Leaders must practice what they preach. They resist temptation and live above reproach. Their lifestyles are also consistent with the standards they expect of others.
Matthew 10:1Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
Mark 4:33Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.
John 15:26“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.”
John 16:13“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
Leaders must equip and send those they lead, providing them with the wisdom and experience necessary and allowing them to take responsibility for their assigned tasks.
Luke 10:17-20When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
Leaders need to keep their priorities clear. The disciples were excited to see the power of God at work through them, but Jesus reminded them that the most important fact was God’s love for them.
Luke 1:31-33“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mark 10:45“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Leaders should have a clear sense of mission and dedicate themselves to fulfilling that mission. While Jesus’ mission was unique, the principle applies to us. The apostle Paul highlights this truth in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living means living for Christ.”
Matthew 28:19-20“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:8“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Leaders need to cast a specific vision for those they lead.
John 8:44“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Leaders must expose lies and falsehoods so that others can think clearly and respond wisely to all of life’s challenges.
Matthew 23:27-28“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Leaders must confront tough situations and people who are harming others.
Luke 9:23-25Then he [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”
Luke 9:57-62As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Leaders should expect much from those they lead and push them to reach their fullest potential.
Luke 22:24-30Then they [Jesus’ disciples] began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Leaders should express their love and gratitude to the people they lead.
Luke 7:44-46Then he [Jesus] turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.”
Leaders should accept expressions of genuine love and gratitude.
Matthew 26:37-40He [Jesus] took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?”
Leaders should be willing to show their vulnerability to trusted followers. Jesus revealed his anguish and expressed his need to his inner circle of disciples as he prayed in Gethsemane, just before his arrest.
John 13:1-5Before 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. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he 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.
Leaders must serve those they lead in practical, sacrificial, and humbling ways.
John 19:18-30There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” . . . Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Leaders must pay the price of love in leadership. Anything we do will never compare with Jesus’ sacrifice in a literal sense. But leaders often have to suffer and sacrifice to serve the people they lead.
