Effective Leadership

Written by Ed Allen

Mark 10:35-45
Part One Of The Series

Based on Ed Allen's sermon given August 19, 2001

Speaking in the British House of Lords more than a century ago, Lord Stanmore offered this definition of leadership: “A leader is someone who can make a man or woman move of their own free will in a direction that the leader wants them to go.” And it’s hard to imagine a better definition for leadership. Lord Stanmore’s characterization includes leadership’s obvious aspect of moving people in a direction set by the leader but it also eliminates power and fear as the driving force behind leadership. In fact, power and fear cannot fuel effective leadership.

Consider Josef Stalin for example. Certainly Stalin was a world leader of unparalleled power. But if you were to ask anyone who lived under his regime or anyone knowledgeable in Soviet history for a list of adjectives describing Stalin’s leadership I doubt seriously that “effectiveness” would make anyone’s list. We might hear “cruel,” or “despotic,” or “paranoid.” But Stalin, for all of his power, did not lead effectively. He led by fear and ultimately his was a failed leadership. The final word on that came at the anticlimactic end of the Cold War when the Soviet empire – the empire inspired by Stalin’s leadership – crumbled under its own weight.

No, leadership that depends on fear or power to coerce can never be effective. “A leader is someone who can make a man or woman move of their own free will in a direction that the leader wants them to go.”

I believe by Lord Stanmore’s definition, in fact by almost any definition, Jesus must be consider the most effective leader in the history of the world. If we consider sheer numbers alone, his influence is without equal. Or think about the depth of devotion that his leadership has stimulated. Again, incomparable. It boggles the mind to realize that he accomplished this without ever exercising power or encouraging fear. In fact, if you believe the story of Jesus, you know that he intentionally sheathed his power. He came from humble circumstances. He received little or no formal education. He never had access to any of the accepted circles of political power. He had no army. He never held office. And yet millions and millions of people over thousands of years have given him their complete, whole-life devotion. This morning we’re going to learn his secret.

I believe the passage we looked at this morning gives us his secret. In this passage Jesus tells us three things about leadership that are critical to its effectiveness. He tells us what effective spiritual leaders understand as the personal outcome of their leadership. He tells us where effective spiritual leadership comes from, that is, how we arrive at it. And he tells us the core characteristic of effective spiritual leadership.

I am convinced that spiritual leadership is a vitally important topic for all of us because all of us are required to exercise leadership in some aspect of our lives. For some of us it’s in our homes. For some of us it’s in school. For some of us – at work. We need to know how to lead effectively and it would behoove us to listen to the Master leader.

This issue is of supreme importance to us as a church right now. We are in the process of deciding how our church will be ordered. And a big part of that process will be the identification and affirmation of spiritual leadership. We want to make sure together that we are effectively led. So before we tackle the topic of what our church leadership will look like specifically, we need to address what leadership in general looks like from Christ’s perspective.

One quick side-note: before we hear the secret of Jesus’ leadership we need to read the warning label. This is not for the faint of heart. If you are not willing to undertake the high and heroic adventure of faith, then this lesson will not be for you.

The story in Mark 10 betrays an ongoing dispute among the disciples concerning their relative positions in the emerging Messianic movement that was gathering momentum around Jesus. In chapter nine of Mark’s biography, for instance, Mark records that Jesus’ followers were arguing about who was the greatest among them. As late as the Last Supper on the night before Jesus’ betrayal and death they were arguing over this same theme.

In the context of this continuing argument, James and John came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus responded.

“Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

It is no surprise that when the other 10 disciples heard about this they became indignant.

Personal Outcome Of Leadership: Spritual Leadership is Costly

So Jesus uses the question as an opportunity to teach on leadership. First of all, he tells us the outcome of spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is costly.

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “This is no small matter. Your eyes are clouded by visions of glory.” In fact, when most of us think of the personal outcome of leadership, we imagine glory of one kind or another. Leadership in our minds implies perks. It calls up images of larger salaries, bigger corner offices, and longer, cushier vacation time. This is no less true of church leadership. Church leaders, we imagine, are in the know. They get to be close to the pastor. They get to be decision-makers. Leaders get the best parking spaces. Leaders are the most admired. “Oh, look at how Jeff makes those announcements. He’s so funny and people seem to respect him so much. I sure would like to have Jeff’s position.”

In our way of thinking, leadership also implies privilege. People notice you. “Oh there’s old so and so. I saw them standing on the platform at this church I visited last Sunday.” We imagine people treat leaders with deference. “What can I do for you today Mr. Allen.” Perks and privilege, this is our view of leadership. Just once I’d like for one of you to treat me that way.

But Christian leadership is not about privilege or perks.

“Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with my baptism?” Jesus asked. And James and John mistakenly believe this is a reference to the cup of privilege and the baptism of responsibility. “Oh we can,” they gush. But their response is naïve.

They have not yet understood that Jesus is talking about death. He used the phrases “baptism” and “cup drinking” on more than one occasion as figurative references to his death. For instance, on another occasion he made a veiled reference to his death by saying “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is complete!” (Luke 12:50) And again, as he prayed in the garden on the last night of his life he asked the Father to remove the cup from him.

Really his question to James and John was: “Are you prepared to die. Are you prepared to suffer for truth? Are you prepared to stand alone? Are you prepared to carry through on your desire to be a hero once all of the romance has been drained from your vision of it? Because that’s the cup that spiritual leaders drink. That’s their baptism. Are you prepared to work long hours on top of a demanding personal schedule with very little recognition? Are you prepared to be misunderstood and blamed? That’s the cup of spiritual leadership.”

According to the most effective leader who ever lived, leadership is costly. Jesus did not lead by dictating memos from the corner office, but by shedding blood hanging on a Roman cross. Jesus understood that spiritual leadership is about death.

When you ask Christ to make you a leader in his church, you are asking for death. There is a crown to spiritual leadership. There is glory. But you cannot have the crown of spiritual leadership without the cross.

How We Arrive At Leadership: Spritual Leadership is Appointed

Spiritual leadership is first of all costly. Spiritual leadership is also appointed. This is how we get it.

“You will drink the cup I drink,” Jesus said, “and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

In Matthew’s account, he recalls this same incident but he includes a revealing detail that Mark leaves out. Matthew tells us that it was not James and John themselves who asked Jesus the question of position, but it was their mother. We don’t know for sure, but there is good circumstantial evidence that suggests that the mother of James and John was related to Mary the mother of Jesus. Perhaps in her mind, the kingdom, which Jesus was in the habit of referring to, would operate, like so many other Ancient Near Eastern kingdoms, as an aristocracy. Perhaps they were thinking that leadership in Jesus’ kingdom would be attained through family connections.

Perhaps the mother of James and John was saying, “How about some cushy appointments for your cousins, Jesus. After all, blood is thicker than water. You can trust them; you know their heritage. Remember your obligation to take care of those closest to you.” In many areas of the world today this is still the practice. When one person in a family attains a certain position that allows them to hire and fire others, the entire family is in effect promoted, since job openings will almost certainly go to family members. Far from seeing this as unethical or illegal, many cultures see this as the most obvious expression of loyalty to family and highly appropriate. But leadership in Jesus’ kingdom is not an aristocracy.

Or perhaps James and John had in mind that Jesus’ kingdom would be a meritocracy, where hard work and considerable initiative would be rewarded with cushy leadership positions. “We’ve been in this thing from the beginning Jesus. We’ve hung with you through some difficult times.” They had some basis for believing they were in line for promotion. Certainly there were 12 followers who had distinguished themselves from all the others. And there were several incidences in which Jesus had singled out three from the 12: Peter, James and John. Peter had had that nasty episode when he publicly contradicted Jesus and received Jesus’ sternest rebuke. That certainly didn’t look too good on the annual review. So James and John may have believed their request was legitimized by some of Jesus’ own actions.

I suspect that most of the indignation that the other disciples felt toward this request had little to do with any perceived arrogance of James and John. I suspect that they were simply afraid that James and John might be able to pull this promotion off. “Who do they think they are?” is really rather a veiled way of asking, “why didn’t I think of that and how have I not been able to put myself in a position to ask the same thing?”

But leadership in the Society of Jesus is not based on merit. Spiritual leadership is appointed. “These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared,” Jesus said.

We’ve got to be honest and acknowledge that something about this principle is unsettling to us. It would be more comfortable for us if Jesus were to say that there are no distinctions whatsoever in His kingdom. “There will be no left or right” we can imagine him saying. “There will be one gigantic circle in which everyone is in the same position as everyone else.” It seems wrong and unfair for Jesus to suggest that people will be singled out. But why? Why does this seem wrong to us? I imagine that at least part of our discomfort is based on the same thing as the indignation of the 10 disciples. We are afraid that we won’t be one of the ones who gets singled out.

Our culture highly values egalitarianism and classlessness in theory, but if given the opportunity to be personally recognized, few of us turn away from that in practice. We are not so much concerned with fairness as we are concerned that no one else has any advantage over us.

God is also concerned. He wants all to be treated with honor. He wants all to be appreciated for what they bring. But He has not eliminated distinctions. Some will be given gifts of prophecy, the Apostle Paul reminds us. Some gifts of teaching. Some gifts of leadership. Some gifts of healing. And so on. These gifts are granted; they are not earned or inherited.

Spiritual leadership is appointed. It is not earned. It is not inherited. It comes to those for whom it has been prepared. It is the job of the church to recognize those whom God has prepared for the task of leadership. It is not the job of the church to make leaders. Our job is to recognize those leaders whom God is raising up and to equip them for the task.

The Core Characteristic: Spritual Leadership is Humble

We said at the beginning that Jesus told us what effective spiritual leaders understand as the personal outcome of their leadership. Spiritual leaders understand that the outcome of spiritual leadership is death because Christian leadership is costly. We also said that Jesus told us in this passage where spiritual leadership comes from and how we arrive at it. Spiritual leadership is appointed. Leaders come from the mind and will of God. And finally, Jesus gives us the core characteristic of spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is humble.

Notice that Jesus gathered the 12 together to give them this lesson. This is not an individual matter only. It is a community concern.

⁴² Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

This was not a new principle for Jesus to teach. Throughout his time with his followers he had presented them with one object lesson after another trying to work into their hearts and minds the principle that the heart of spiritual leadership is humility. He knew that the future of his leadership and God’s kingdom depended, in no small part, on his effectiveness in communicating this message. On one occasion, he held a child and said, “look, this is what being part of God’s kingdom looks like.” On another occasion, he grabbed a towel and washed their feet – performing the job of a menial. “If you want to be like me do the same,” he said. Yet again, he had them imagine standing in a line and said, “if you want to be first, you’ve got to be last.”

But perhaps the most dramatic image of all comes in this lesson. Here Jesus invoked the image of slavery. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Don’t be tempted to soften these words in your own mind. These words – “slave” and “servant” - were never used by Jesus’ contemporaries in a positive light. They were used for those who performed the lowest jobs in society. Often these jobs were demeaning. No one in the Ancient Near Eastern culture aspired to be a servant – not Romans, not Greeks, not Egyptians, not Israelites. No one. These were derogatory words. It was degrading and sometimes disgraceful to be a slave.

How shocking to find that the most effective leader the world has ever known instructs us to set our sights – not on being valuable administrators, not on being persuasive, not on being noticed, or on being assertive. Jesus tells his followers that if they want to pursue leadership, set a course toward servanthood. “Make service your principle ambition,” Jesus says. Jesus is not looking for charisma. He’s looking for humility. He’s not looking for the loud, he’s looking for the lowly.

I don’t think this is an attempt to trivialize natural leadership capabilities. It’s not as if we should try to be intentionally incompetent or look for people to lead us who are. Persuasiveness and power of personality are not inherently bad things. They are abilities, which become robust tools for use in leadership if they are clothed with genuine humility. But Jesus’ instruction makes it clear that humility is not a nice accessory to leadership – it is the core characteristic of leadership.

Humility will change the way we seek leadership. The humble man will not blow his own trumpet. The humble woman will not spend any time or energy defending or protecting herself. She will not necessarily be at the front of the line volunteering for leadership. The humble man would rather not have a title at all for fear that it might inhibit his real ministry.

Humility will change the way we accept leadership. The humble man will not be upset because he is bypassed for position. The humble woman has no ego that needs to be assuaged, no pride that needs to be protected.

Humility will change the way we exert leadership. Typically, leaders lord it over their followers. But not so with spiritual leaders. They place the needs and the feelings of others above their own.

John F. Kennedy once said that he wanted to be president “because that’s where the power is.” I don’t think we need to question Kennedy’s heart because of this sentiment. Maybe he wanted to use that power for good. And the Bible certainly acknowledges that political power can be used to serve God’s purposes. In fact, we can even respect Kennedy’s honesty.

My question is: was he right. Is this really where the power is? I suspect that many of us agree with Kennedy. And all of us would have to acknowledge that Jesus’ view of leadership is counterintuitive. Surely the way to lead is to carry the biggest most compelling microphone.

And yet Jesus lived his entire life in relative obscurity. He never did anything to elevate his own name. He never made one single move calculated to bring credit to himself. He expended little or no energy defending himself when attacked. And he spent no time in convincing others to follow him. The only crown he ever wore was made of thorns. The only palace he ever entered was as a prisoner. He built no buildings, started no organizations and never raised an army. And yet he stands today as the single most influential human being who ever lived. No general, no emperor, no president, no teacher inspired even a fraction of the following that Jesus inspired. And he did it without coercion, without pressure, without engendering fear. He oppresses nobody, threatens nobody.

Here is where real leadership is realized. Jesus’ leadership “is directed toward free men, men whose self determination is not robbed by the act of surrender but respected.” (Roy Clements) Political power can never do this. It always coerces, it always forces, it always imposes. “Democracy doesn’t change that. Democracy only allows us to elect our dictators.” (Roy Clements) Political power can never lead according to Lord Stanmore’s dictum. Only the leadership of Jesus moves men and women of their own free will in the direction that he wants them to go. And that’s where the real power is vested.

So why don’t the leaders of the world follow Jesus’ formula? If this path of leadership is so effective at generating a devoted following, why don’t more people follow it? Because they don’t want to drink the cup that Jesus drank or be baptized with his baptism. But effective, spiritual leaders are fully prepared for the high heroic adventure of faith. Jesus led the way up that lofty path.“ The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” If we are to be the church that God wants us to be, that will be the path of leadership for us.