Biblical Leadership

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

(Matthew 20:25-28 ESV)

One of the things we see as we look at society, as well as at the church, is a misunderstanding of what leadership is to look like. We share this misunderstanding regardless of whether we see authority in a positive or a negative light. And we tend to understand leadership, we tend to understand authority, as a matter of control. We tend to understand it as a matter of domination.



The one who is in charge, we believe, is the one who yells the loudest. The one who is in charge, we believe, is the one before whom everyone cringes. The one who is in charge, we believe, is the one who uses his strength to force submission upon everyone else.



This is why we often bristle when we hear the Bible’s instructions for the order of the household. This is why we bristle when we read that women aren’t to teach or to have authority over the men of the church. If men are truly the head, we take this to mean that they’re to dominate women. If men are truly the head, we take this to mean that they’re to dominate their spouse and children. If men are the head, we take this to mean that they’re to control everything that goes on. And this, we believe, is demeaning to women. This, we believe, is abusive of children.



This is also why we have a natural tendency to resist those in authority over us. We don’t want to be controlled by anyone. And we won’t allow anyone to rule over us.



Yet, at the same time, we naturally desire to be that person in authority. We want to be the one in control. We want to be the one to whom everyone submits.



However, when we look at Jesus’ definition of leadership, it’s very different. Jesus tells us that, whoever would be great among us, must be our servant. He tells us that, whoever would be first among us, must be our slave.



In fact, he uses himself as the ultimate example of this truth. Even he, Jesus says, came not to be served. Even though he is God in the flesh, and even though he rightfully deserves to be served, that was not his purpose in coming among us. He came that he might serve. He came that he might give his life as a ransom for many.



In other words, to be a leader means to be a servant. To be a leader means to be a slave of all. To be a leader means that we willingly sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others.



Even if we do have a measure of authority that’s been entrusted to us, we don’t use that authority for our own benefit. We use it for the benefit of those in our charge. We use it to serve.



We find the same thing in Ephesians 5, where Paul lays out the order of the household. The husband, he says, is the head. This, however, does not mean that he rules his household with an iron fist. He is called to lay his life down for the sake of his spouse. He is to use his authority for her blessing.



The wife, in turn, doesn’t submit simply because her husband demands it. She doesn’t submit because she’s forced to do so. She does it willingly. She does it voluntarily. She does so that, in this way, she might honor God and bless her husband.



We see this also, as Paul instructs children and fathers in Colossians 3. He tells children to obey their parents in everything. In this, we see the authority structure of this relationship. Yet, at the same time, he tells fathers that they’re not to provoke their children, lest they become discouraged. They aren’t to be harsh, they aren’t to treat their children unjustly, as they carry out their responsibility among them.



This is what it means to exercise authority at all levels. This is what it means to exercise authority as a husband, as a parent, as a church leader, or as a government official. This is what it means to exercise authority as a business owner or a manager. As Jesus used his authority to serve us, we’re to use our authority, whatever it may be, to serve those in our care.