Transcript:
Throughout world history, most political leaders have exercised their power in order to benefit themselves. They have abused people, They have sent soldiers off to die in order to achieve their selfish aims. They have enriched themselves while impoverishing their subjects. This has been the reality because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Many business owners and executives do something similar. They abuse their authority. They are greedy. They cheat. They look at employees as people to exploit rather than people to be cared for.
When Jesus was on earth, He knew He was training His twelve disciples to plant and lead the church. He taught them a very different mindset about leadership. Jesus taught that church leaders are servants of the flock. Congregations should be served, not abused and exploited. This is the mentality church leaders should always operate under.
After spending most of His ministry in Galilee, Jesus took His disciples south to Judea. First they went to the region east of the Jordan River. The Pharisees tested Jesus with a question about divorce. Then Jesus taught the necessity of receiving the kingdom of God like a child.
A rich man asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to give his money away, but the man could not do that. Then Jesus taught the disadvantage of being rich when desiring to enter the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:28 ¶ Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”
While the rich man could not bring himself to abandon his possessions, the twelve disciples had abandoned everything to follow Jesus.
Mark 10:29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake,
Mark 10:30 except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Those who give up everything on earth, will be greatly rewarded in heaven.
Mark 10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Throughout history, many political leaders have been first, while their subjects have been last. Many business owners and leaders are first while their employees are last. Within churches, pastors and elders are fist while the laity is last. However, in eternity those positions may flip. Those who are first will be last and vice versa.
Mark 10:32 ¶ And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him:
Notice the word “up”. That was not necessarily a reference to geographical elevation or direction. Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life. Anytime a Jew was traveling to Jerusalem, his mindset was he was going up to Jerusalem, regardless of whether he was going north, south, east, west, uphill, or downhill.
Having said that, Jerusalem was on top of a ridge, not down in a valley. On the map the brown colors are the higher elevations. The green colors are the lower elevations. The dark green colors are below sea level. No matter whether Jerusalem was approached from the north, south, east, or west, the last part of the journey was uphill.
Mark 10:33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles.
Mark 10:34 And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
Mark 10:35 ¶ Then James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”
Mark 10:36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Mark 10:37 And they said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
James and John were trying to elevate themselves over the rest of the disciples. This is how humans normally think. Humans crave power and control. When they have it, they want more. Humans want to control people, but they don’t want to be controlled.
Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
The cup that Jesus drank and the baptism with which He was baptized was His crucifixion.
Mark 10:39 And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.
Mark 10:40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Jesus acknowledged that they would indeed suffer for the name of Jesus. However, He could not grant their request because it was not His decision.
Mark 10:41 ¶ And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.
Mark 10:42 And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.
This has been the norm throughout human history. Most leaders have acted to benefit themselves and accumulate wealth and power.
Mark 10:43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;
Mark 10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
Jesus told the disciples to think and act differently. In order to be great, Christians need to serve.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus Himself is the greatest example of servant leadership. He did not come to earth to become wealthy and accumulate political power. He came to give His life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:46 ¶ Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.
Jericho was down in the Jordan Valley. It is only 14 miles / 22 km from Jericho to Jerusalem, but Jericho is 500’ / 150 m below sea level while Jerusalem is 2,440’ / 740 m above sea level. It was and is a very steep, uphill climb to walk from Jericho to Jerusalem.
Mark 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Mark 10:48 And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Throughout world history, most political leaders have exercised their power in order to benefit themselves. They have abused people, They have sent soldiers off to die in order to achieve their selfish aims. They have enriched themselves while impoverishing their subjects. This has been the reality because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Many business owners and executives do something similar. They abuse authority. They are greedy. They cheat. They look at employees as people to exploit rather than people to be cared for.
When Jesus was on earth, His disciples started with the same mindset. They wanted power and prestige. James and John asked to sit on either side of Jesus in glory. The rest of the disciples were indignant, but did they really know better, or were they jealous because James and John asked before they did?
Jesus was training His twelve disciples to plant and lead the church. He taught them to have a different perspective on leadership. Just as Jesus sacrificed Himself to save many people, so too church leaders should serve and care for the flock under their care, not exploit it.
Today, since humans are naturally self-centered, it is very easy for church leaders to fall into the habit of using their position to benefit themselves. However, church leaders should serve their congregations, not abuse and exploit them. Church leaders need to be very intentional about maintaining this Biblical mentality regarding leadership.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”
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