Our society seems more fascinated by prominent leaders and celebrities than ever before. Everywhere we turn, famous people appear in nearly every corner of our culture. Yet the servant leadership of Jesus presents a radically different model.
Actors, athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, politicians and religious leaders can amass enormous followings. Sometimes, admiration for them begins to border on worship.
Yet the longer we live, the more we realize that all famous people share one thing: They are flawed. Zoom in closely enough and every celebrity or leader eventually reveals sins, failures and imperfections.
For this discussion, let’s use leader as a stand-in for well-known people we admire for one reason or another. They may be famous, respected or simply fascinating to the public.
Celebrities aren’t necessarily leaders in the traditional sense. Still, when people admire, emulate and follow them, they exercise influence. In that sense, they lead.
The Servant Leadership of Jesus
There is only one perfect Leader worthy of our worship: the Leader of all leaders and the Servant of all servants. Jesus Christ is the Servant Leader who changed leadership forever.
Ironically, this Servant Leader graciously bestows talents upon every mortal person. That includes those who momentarily step in and out of the world spotlight. He is the Creator of every temporary celebrity and leader, past and present.
Mercifully, His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection offer mankind hope and salvation in time and eternity (Hebrews 6:19).
Although fully God, this Servant Leader also became fully human. He humbled Himself, set aside His divine privileges and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-8).
Prophetically, this Servant Leader was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. The incarnate God-man grew in wisdom and stature. He lived His entire life in sinless obedience before His heavenly Father.
Miraculously, He turned water into wine, rebuked storms and multiplied a handful of fish and loaves into a feast for thousands. He healed the sick and raised people from the dead.
Compassionately, He willingly and purposefully died for man’s sins. Scripture says He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Then, powerfully, this Servant Leader conquered sin and death. He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for His followers.
The Servant Leader Who Did Not Leave Us Alone
Thankfully, Jesus did not leave His followers alone when He ascended into heaven. He sent another Helper, the Holy Spirit, to dwell with them forever (John 14:16).
The Spirit teaches, guides and convicts His people while continually pointing them back to Christ.
Amazingly, this Servant Leader is also preparing a heavenly house with many rooms for His saints. Scripture points toward the marriage supper of the Lamb, where the Bridegroom will celebrate with His bride (Revelation 19:9).
Victoriously, the Servant Leader who came first as the Suffering Servant will return as the Conquering King. Revelation describes the King of kings and Lord of lords returning in power and glory (Revelation 19:15-16).
Who Is the Leader of All Leaders?
This Servant Leader is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is the eternal Second Person of the Triune Godhead and Creator of the universe.
Scripture calls Him the “Last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Though tempted, He never sinned. Therefore, He became the only acceptable substitutionary sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus Christ is the express image of the invisible God and our great, sympathetic High Priest (Hebrews 1:3). Remarkably, He also calls His followers friends.
He is the great “I AM” and Immanuel, “God with us.” John the Baptist introduced Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
The apostle Paul called Him “our great God and Savior.” He was before all things, and through Him all things were created in heaven and on earth.
Jesus is the only Servant Leader who truly deserves our reverence and worship. Moreover, Scripture says a day is coming when every knee will bow before Him.
Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
“Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the beginning, middle and end of everything to us . . . There is nothing good, nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing joyous which He is not to His servants.”
What Jesus Shows Us About Leadership
Unlike fleeting worldly celebrities with feet of clay, Jesus becomes more captivating the closer we draw to Him. His immeasurable love, absolute perfection, matchless beauty and glorious majesty invite deeper study.
In fact, studying Jesus compels us to study Him all the more. Our focus on this Servant Leader can fuel a supernatural journey that produces transformed lives immersed in Him.
By contrast, the shallow praise of worldly celebrities eventually leads to disillusionment. Mortal people can never provide deep and lasting satisfaction.
But Jesus Christ, the one true and awe-inspiring Servant Leader, offers indescribable riches found only in Him. He doesn’t merely welcome us to a lifetime of study. He beckons us to abide in Him and drink deeply from the Fountain of living water forever.
The deeper we study the Servant Leader who became our Suffering Servant, the more compelled we become to follow His example. The servant leadership of Jesus gives us a model no earthly leader can match.
Although equal with God, Jesus made Himself of no reputation and took the form of a bondservant. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
How can we not be drawn to imitate His powerful model of leadership?
Disclaimer to reader: The above narrative is grossly incomplete and an inadequate description of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It barely begins to scratch the surface of Christ’s many deep and wonderful attributes. Hopefully, however, it will encourage you toward a deeper study of the Word and a hunger to make Jesus your “all in all.”