You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When we are having elections, candidates pledge to serve and protect us so we vote for them. What usually happens is they suddenly remember they are fallen humans immediately after being sworn in. They reverse course and succumb to the desire for power that is in all of us. Only Jesus possesses this power in all its fullness but he is the one ruler that willingly laid this power aside to assume the role of suffering servant. He did this to save us and also to please the Father. Rulers lord it over, but with the Lord, it was not so.
It is also not so for the followers of Jesus, according to Jesus himself. Except, it appears that the church quickly drifted into lording it over all as Rome consolidated its power over Europe in the Middle Ages. The Reformation put Christ and the Bible back into sharp focus. Now, however, with social media followers and megachurches, celebrity pastors and prosperity preachers have become anything but slaves of all. One of them owns 7 jets!
The Jesus leadership model is actually getting the attention of secular businesses because of its avoidance of power struggle. They need to implement them while acknowledging the source of this model. The leader must be willing to…
Give his life as a ransom for many.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church