Jesus came to serve others, not to be served

Mark 10:42-45 (NLT)

So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Our human nature demands selfishness.  You see this when an infant becomes a toddler and starts demanding that his/her needs get met immediately.  If not, the toddler throws a tantrum.  Yes, good parenting can minimize this selfish behavior, but the point is that it is natural for little children to act this way.  Unfortunately, some people never learn to be unselfish or, at least, never become truly selfless.  Therefore, as people become adults, they act in ways that show “me-first” attitudes and actions.  William Makepeace Thackery wrote that “next to the very young, the very old are the most selfish”.  Selfishness simply is a major characteristic of human nature.  Human nature is the result of original sin in the Garden of Eden where an act of selfishness separated human beings from God and His nature.   William Gladstone wrote that “selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race”.  Julio Cortazor wrote that “human history is the sad result of each one looking out for himself”.   

When I read these words of Jesus, I am reminded of Isaiah 55:8 where God said that His ways and thoughts were not the same as man’s.  Jesus said here that while human leaders lord it over people and flaunt their authority, godly leaders will be different.  Selfishness and self-centeredness are not characteristics of godly leaders.  Godly leaders are servants first.  This is absolutely smack-dab opposite of what the world calls leadership.  Worldly leadership puts self before others.  Godly leadership puts others before self.

Many companies insist that management knows everything that their employees are doing……. everything.  This means micro-managing.  This means that employees are not empowered to make their own decisions, everything must come through management—several layers of management-- for approval.  This is not servant leadership, this is bullying leadership.  This is an example of leaders flaunting their authority over those under them.  Companies might be financially successful, but employee morale and is low and potential for even greater success is stifled.

Jesus’ model of leadership is servant leadership.   He made it clear in this passage and proved it with His actions that if you wish to be a leader in the Kingdom of God, you must serve others.  Jesus came to serve others and proved His service by not only His words and actions during His three-year ministry but also His willingness to humble Himself and suffer and die for the sins of others.  There is no greater example of leadership in world history.  Yet, blessed is the leader in any situation today, be it the church, the business world, the community, wherever, who demonstrates servant leadership by putting the needs of those he leaders above his own needs.  I love the quote from John C. Maxwell, “True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not to enrich the leader”. 

You may or may not be in some kind of leadership position.  If you are, you need to heed these teachings of Jesus and work on applying them in your leadership role.  If you are not, you can still help those who lead you by not only the servant’s attitude of your own heart, but also your courage and willingness to help leaders understand the example of Christ.          

"Servant-leadership is all about making the goals clear and then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to help people win. In that situation, they don't work for you, you work for them."    -- Ken Blanchard in Servant Leadership, The Management Forum volume 4 number 3.