Slavery has gotten a bad rap! Now before you blow a gasket, hear me out. Most of us don’t know what slavery looks like, other than a vague image from a school textbook. Or maybe you have seen an image flash across the screen of the modern day sex slavery industry, or of forced labor in some factory far, far away. But the reality is, most of us don’t know much about slavery, its many gradations and variables.
Two of the disciples have taken it upon themselves to try and secure the top spots in Jesus new Kingdom. The other disciples have heard about their failed attempt and get rip-roaring mad. They can’t believe they would do this to them. Or maybe they are so mad because they didn’t come up with the idea first.
But Jesus has a very different idea of being on top. He would not be grappling for the front row seats. He wouldn’t strategically place Himself directly behind an important dignitary so that their face gets captured in the pictures. Jesus has a very different picture of leadership than the rest of us. Leadership starts and stays in slavery mode.
Jesus contrasts the kind of leadership He wants His disciples to display with that of the political officials of His day. They acted superior to those over whom they ruled. You could see it in their actions. Private jets and exclusive restaurants. Chastise those who participate in your favorite banned behavior and then be excessive in the exercise of that same banned behavior. Rail against the treatment of the poor, and then do nothing with their millions or billions to help. Fight against smoking, but sneak your smokes on the side. Speak against poor dietary habits, but then eat whatever they want, including what your spoke against.
History and people haven’t changed much. The leaders of Jesus’ day were just such people. They acted superior to the common people. Their attitude stunk! They acted like they owned the people, that they were their play things to be commanded at will. The point of a finger was all it took. The gesture of the hand could signal life or death.
Jesus says that if we want to be great, at the top, hold one of the top spots in His Kingdom, then we must become both a servant and a slave. We must work toward meeting other people’s needs. We take our directions from what will help others, not what will help us. We are not the boss. We take orders from Him, and from the needs that the Holy Spirit points out to us. Great people are great servants. Those with top rank are those that are slaves to everyone else.
This concept of upside-down leadership is so unfamiliar that it sounds impossible. Well it is! But putting others ahead of ourselves is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus came, not to be a good moral teacher, but to give His life as the payment for everyone else’s sin. He did what we could never do. And He did it without any hope of earthly reward.
The Arnold Journey 