Leader as Slave

So, last week’s teaching was incredible. I definitely had my eyes opened and my mind blown. The nature of who God is confounds the mind, really. There is just so much to learn about him and from him, that I find myself feeling like a young child who cannot help but stare intently at the every move their father makes, fascinated by his work, his art, his words, his movements, his life. What particularly struck me was the rather deep conversation about the Philippians 2 passage, wrestling with the reality of God’s intrinsic nature. That penetrating question of can God take a nature other than his own? Jesus, being in very nature God, took the nature of a servant. It would appear at first glance that the two are opposites: God we know to be all-powerful, in the seat of highest authority, subject to no one. A servant (indeed a slave) brings forth images of subjugation and surrendering of rights. It is, if anything, a state of utter powerlessness. How on earth can the two be reconciled? I see the Christological problem, but I also understand some of the mystery to this paradox. In Jesus, there is a truth about God that has been revealed to us which was not evident before: servanthood is an integral part of the nature of God. Even more enlightening was the question of who is Jesus a slave to? I loved the analogy to a butler because even though he appears to be serving the people, there is a deeper and less visible relationship at the core. Jesus did not incarnate himself to be a slave to the masses; rather, he made himself nothing, humbled himself and became obedient to death even on a cross because he had willingly chose (like a bond servant) to be slave to his good master, God the Father.

I see these connections as being vital to anyone who aspires to lead a group of people. We must acknowledge that Jesus died for the Father before he died for you and me. Accepting this means that his motivation and reasons for doing things become ours as well. I am a leader of youth in the Walk, but that does not mean I am a slave to their whims and desires. I can appreciate this point about servant leadership especially because the mission field I have found myself in is the world of tumultuous middle schoolers, and imagine what folly it would be if I catered to their wants rather than God’s will.

So this begs the question of who do we want to be? I like the identity descriptor of being “servants who lead, not leaders who serve.” Of the two categories Brian described, I think I fit into the category of servant who needs to be coaxed into leadership, even though there are still numerous ways I need to conform my attitude to be the same as that of Christ. “Servants do whatever is needed, regardless of their gifting.” I think there is a great deal of truth in this statement, and it is honestly an area for improvement in my own life and ministry. Often it is out of necessity that I serve rather than sacrifice. The kinds of leaders whom God calls, however, serve because it is love that drives them to lay down their whole lives for the sake of others. It is this subjugation of ego that frequently trips me up, more so in the context of living in community and learning what it means to be a leader there rather than as a youth leader. Somehow I find it easier to pour myself out on behalf of our kids than it is to, say, clean up after five grown women. But I see in Jesus a spirit of servanthood that is sincere and consistent. Despite his company or circumstance, Jesus is intent upon pleasing the One he serves. We should do likewise.

It is good to assess one’s leadership by answering the question, “when was the last time you chose suffering and subjugation rather than comfort and power?” When I read in Philippians 2 to humbly consider others better than myself, I consider such a question and let it cut me. I feel as though a conscious searching for ways to make oneself lower (so others may be lifted up) should be an everyday occurrence for servant leaders. For what was Jesus’ whole life if not this posture? He is God and yet he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. So he demoted himself to human likeness, to slavery, to death on a cross. And yet, this was to his glory and the glory of the Father.

The practical assessment at the end of class was convicting and instructive. As a leader in the Walk I desire for God to show me who these young men and women can become. Usually my dreams are self-absorbed and my empathy skills aren’t too keen, but God has blessed me with fellow leaders who challenge me to forget about myself in the interest of others and their needs. These criteria transfer into living in community, where a great deal of listening, empathizing, submitting and taking responsibility are required. I’ll be the first to admit where I've strayed from these, becoming defensive and hard-hearted, thinking things like “what is wrong with these people?” rather than “what should I do differently?” It shows me my own weakness and pride, and my desperate need for God’s grace in those times of failure as a leader. Perhaps similar experiences caused Peter to address his second letter as “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” instead of the triumphant "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." Likewise, we should seek to live in this same kind of humility as we serve the people we lead and please the God whom we serve.