Good Morning Friends,
The thing that stands out the most about today’s text is the extraordinary command and authority Jesus exhibits. Jesus was a person who commanded people’s immediate attention and engendered from His followers either deeply felt loyalty and devotion…or intense opposition. Whatever the response, He simply could not be ignored. In our text we see a model of leadership. Most dictionaries simply define leadership as the act or an instance of leading. One cannot be much of a leader without a following. But Jesus’ leadership was more than a time or action where people followed, for he influenced thoughts and feelings to bring about a desired outcome through other’s actions that continues to this day. And that prompts today’s question. So, What Makes For A Good Leader From The Perspective Of Team Jesus?
Scripture: He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home;
Mark 3: 13-19 (NRSV)
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
Psalm 85: 8-14 (NRSV)
But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one. God finds fault with them when he says: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of “a new covenant,” he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear.
Hebrews 8: 6-13 (NRSV)
Message: Let us look at our Gospel text and uncover some characteristics of Jesus’ leadership. First notice that Jesus had such charisma, vision, and moral authority what He drew devoted followers to Him. He inspired people to follow. Jesus was the greatest leader who ever lived and made an impact, which is why he was recognized as a leader and a model of leadership. Notice all the people who flocked to Jesus. Previously, Jesus just ministered in a small area around Galilee. Now they are coming from all directions…North, East, South and West. This rising influence foreshadows the outward impact the Gospel would have to the ends of the earth. So, notice that Jesus was making an impact on people’s lives from the inside out and people from all over were paying attention. These people were hurt and damaged and diseased. They needed healing; so, Jesus healed them. He made them better. Jesus’ type of leadership left a lasting impact on people’s lives then as today because he makes us better people. We may not have the power to heal people physically, though our medical facilities, many started by people of faith, do. Still, we have the power to impact people by our words and our actions to better their lives. We can help heal broken hearts. We can help heal damaged relationships. We can help heal emotional hurts. We can challenge people to love God with greater intensity, to serve Him more devotedly, to follow Him more closely. And in the process, we will be changed and transformed and bettered. We can help people through a difficult trial to see it from God’s perspective rather than a perspective of pain. We too can speak with authority, but we are not God, so we need to listen to others’ input, but when leaders know the right thing to do, we need to act decisively and communicate our expectations clearly. Jesus assembled his team to carry out his vision and delegated authority to them to accomplish his goals. This designed a way of making His message permanent and able to be disseminated to others. Since there was not mass media then to share the message Jesus had to choose those on whose hearts and lives, he could write his message and who would go out to carry that message to the world. He had to choose a team to carry out His goals.
And So, Jesus listened for God the Father to instruct him in the selection of the Twelve Apostles to build the foundation of his ministry and so too we should take his lead in listening to the Holy Spirit in guiding us in our team building with family, friends and in the institutions of our faith. Behind it all is a purpose, plan and promise of something better in us and in the world. Here the purpose of Jesus’ leadership impacts us to change for the better and moves us towards a worthy goal that continues the Christian ministry. You see, Jesus established a better process, plan, purpose and promise through the paraclete. That is why we too, in the Spirit of Christ, are to train, equip and delegate to those in the called-out assembly of God as part of a team for Jesus. That is why we are to model ourselves after the leadership of Jesus in our interactions with others whether they follow or not.
Pray we receive the power of the Holy Spirit that guided Jesus to guide us to be witnesses for the application of Jesus’ leadership in our spheres of influence. Pray we aspire to leadership with insights that help others. Pray we realize that not all will be called to be leaders, but all should seek to be disciples of Jesus. Pray we realize that Jesus is much more than a leader, he is our Lord and Savior.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 