Jesus had a way of flipping religious leaders’ philosophies upside down with just a few words. It was among the aspects of His life on earth that drove the leadership of the time—particularly the Jewish community—to detest Him. Long before Jesus walked the earth, the Children of Israel demanded their leader be a king. God gave them what they asked for, and most of those kings were very bad. Through hundreds of years of kings and prophets, Israel waited for the coming King—the promised Messiah. But because they had experience with a monarch for a leader, their view of what Jesus would be like was highly skewed.

They envisioned a conquering King Who would vanquish the enemies of Israel and take His rightful place as Ruler. But this would be a good and gracious Ruler who would treat Israel as she deserved to be treated as the chosen people of God. Yes, they would worship this King because He would be the King they had envisioned for their nation. When Jesus arrived by birth in humble surroundings, He hardly seemed destined to be the Mighty King that Israel was expecting.

Later as Jesus began teaching on earth, His words about leadership and leading were all the more shocking. In fact, they were so at odds with religious leaders of the time, they believed Jesus could not possibly be the Savior they were hoping and waiting for. This Man claiming to be the Messiah, the long-awaited King and Conqueror, instead said this: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Later, Jesus equated Himself to those of greatest need in the world. “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Surely if you had been a religious leader at the time, the “What!?” on your face would have been evident. But Jesus, in coming from heaven to give His life as a living sacrifice for the sins of all, was a servant leader. This is the kind of leadership He was teaching to those who would follow Him. The Apostle Paul reiterated Jesus’ teaching in his letter to the church at Phillippi, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4). What are some practical ways that we, today, can live and model Jesus’ brand of servant leadership?

Be present. If leadership is about serving others, it follows you cannot lead outside of the presence of others. Servant leadership cannot be effectively practiced from behind a desk in a closed-door office. Rather a servant leader must be among those he is serving. Servant leadership is done accomplished through edict or communiques. Servant leadership is all about actions. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Being present also means listening actively. Instead of making points or making statements, a servant leader seeks to hear what others are saying. This gives insight into what they value. In this way a servant leader can more effectively connect to the needs of those around him and influence them toward their best work and effort. Being present in their lives and work builds trust, as they understand you have their best interest at heart.

Be positive. Servant leadership does not come down on people. Rather, it lifts them up through active encouragement. An authoritarian leader might get things done by voicing the negative consequences of non-compliance. But a servant leader empowers others by sharing the positive benefits that result from their efforts. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 instructs leaders, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

So much of leadership culture is looking for fault or weakness in individuals. A positive leader serves his reports by looking for their best, and raising up their outlook through reinforcing what they are doing well and doing right. The positive leader gets the best from others through focus on encouraging and appreciation.  

Be last. Leadership teacher Simon Sinek’s book, Leaders Eat Last, contains simple and effective instruction on servant leadership. He writes, “The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.” This is a modern re-telling of Jesus’ leadership instructions to His disciples. In Matthew 20:16, Jesus teaches, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Sinek argues that a servant leader shows his attitude in simple acts, like waiting to go last in line. The result of this attitude, Sinek writes: “And when a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader’s vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way.”

The un-leader. Jesus’ embrace and teaching of servant leadership was as un-leader a teaching as those in His age had ever heard. As God’s chosen people, they had longed for a headstrong, authoritarian leader who would defeat their adversaries and raise them up as first in the world. But that would have only created generations of arrogant, selfish people living under the banner of “Jesus is King!” Instead Jesus would set a powerful example in His service to us on the cross. He taught, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He showed this attitude time and again in ministry—feeding the people, washing His disciples’ feet. Then He went out and lived servant leadership through His death.

A servant leader must unlearn leadership principles that put passion, vision, decisions and administration ahead of people. Ultimately leadership is about the people we lead and influence, and to lead them is to serve them by encouraging them and equipping them to become their very best. Servanthood opens the door to deeper and more meaningful and influential relationships. Leadership development, then, is not a race to the top of the ladder, but to be the man that holds the bottom rung, creating a stable platform on which others can rise. In unwinding from traditional leadership, you may instead become the un-leader that really makes a difference.

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