This sermon was delivered on October 17, 2021 in the weekly service at The Kensington in Galesburg, IL.
Jesus is often held up as an exemplar of servant leadership- of someone who lead by being of service to others. This type of leadership is one of the most difficult to sustain, but also can be one of the best way to lead others.
Robert Greenleaf takes credit for coining the phrase “Servant Leader” in 1970, but of course this type of leadership existed long before Greenleaf wrote about it. But Greenleaf’s definition is helpful- he puts it this way, “A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”1 While Greenleaf never actually discusses Jesus as a servant leader, today’s verse in Mark demonstrates that exact type of leadership.
We have established that Jesus is focused on the growth and wellbeing of the people he serves. We’ve seen evidence of this over and over in the past months- Jesus feeding the multitude, Jesus healing the sick, Jesus’ role as a shepherd protecting the people from the rule of Herod Antipas and Roman rule.
We’ve seen again and again how Jesus puts the well-being of the people above everything else- to the point of breaking the rules of the sabbath and alienating the wealthy. Jesus is clearly not interested in accumulating or exercising power.
The servant leader shares power. Jesus didn’t just share power, he gave away power to others. He empowered his followers- not just the disciples, but all of his followers. Perhaps the greatest example of Jesus refusing power is when he refused to take on the title of King when Pilate called him the King of the Jews.
But throughout his life and ministry we’re given glimpses of him eschewing power- when he chose to ride into Jerusalem on the back of a humble donkey. Jesus shared his ministry- the disciples were called to work with Jesus and were given the power to heal and to cast out spirits. He shared his power with the woman who touched his robes. He shared his power via his miracles. He clearly did not work alone. Jesus shared his power.
The servant leader puts the needs of others first. Jesus almost always put the news of others first- in fact there are only a few rare occasions in scripture where he practiced any sort of self care before caring for others. He often went without food or sleep or rest in order to serve, preach, teach, or heal. In today’s scripture he goes so far as to foretell his own death on the cross by saying “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Now there are many folks who are uncomfortable with the notion of sacrificial atonement- of Jesus setting himself up as a ransom for sins that had yet to be committed, but in some way, even Jesus understood his work in that way. That he was making sacrifices for the good of many- in whatever form that would take.
The servant leader helps people develop and perform at their highest capacity. Jesus did this in a lot of ways, but perhaps the one that really comes to mind is when he washed the disciples feet at what came to be known as the last supper. In this act, he was trying to teach the importance of learning to be served by others. He wanted them to understand how to be vulnerable and through that vulnerability comes a greater strength. He wanted to teach them the power of serving others and the grace of accepting help. When you think about how the disciples must have felt that night, and who it was that was doing the washing, then it becomes all the more clear that Jesus was teaching a valuable lesson.
At the end of the story, Jesus asks the disciples a question. Do you understand what I have done for you? Do what I have done.” Jesus was not telling the disciples to go out and physically wash the feet of everyone in town. Rather, Jesus was telling the disciples that if they wanted to truly be leaders—to truly make a difference in their world—that they had to learn to serve others and allow others to serve them.In this act Jesus was teaching his disciples how to lead. He became the embodiment of the servant leader in that moment, but also helped his disciples learn how to accept the service of others. He was helping develop them as leaders.
The Greek word for this concept is doulos- to give oneself up in devotion to another. It’s a step beyond servanthood- a step that includes the good of others. And while I usually shy away from talking about Paul, this is something he really gets right when he discusses the responsibilities of apostleship. 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23, Paul makes it clear that everything he does is for the sake of the gospel. He takes it one step further, though. Paul “urges the strong members of the Corinthian church to follow the example of Christ and the example of the apostle by surrendering their place of privilege”2 in an effort to spotlight the overall need of the community of believers.
Paul himself gave up many of his own rights in order to be fulfil his apostolic mission. In his letter to the Corinthians, then, Paul uses the word doulos to further expand the definition of servant leadership AND to be an example of such leadership.
Between Jesus and Paul we’ve been given two excellent examples of servant leadership. But I want to give just one more. My partner Sam is the “Head of People” for an online retailer. I see him demonstrating servant leadership in all of his dealings. He’s patient and kind with employees. He works with them to help them see their potential for growth and helps them work toward their goals- even if doing so would lead them away from the company.
He’s vulnerable when he needs to be, and he willingly gives up power and responsibility to those who can best serve the needs of the company. In not focusing on his own career goals and advancement, he’s improved the lives of many of his fellow employees and it’s because of this that he’s been successful in his career advancement. By approaching his job in the manner of a servant leader, he has made his workplace better, he’s made his colleagues better, and he’s made himself better. He’s such a good example of servant leadership in action.
As we move forward from this scripture today, I want us to keep the word doulos in mind. To think about the level of devotion and sacrifice we’re willing to make for the success of the gospel, but also for the success of others. I encourage us all to find ways to be servant leaders in whatever capacity we can. But I also encourage you to call out those who are leading with integrity and service as their mindset. Who is acting with a spirit of doulos? Be on the lookout for servant leaders- observe how they lead and how they share. Find the Jesus and Paul in those folks and see how you can learn from them in the weeks to come.
Amen
1 “What Is Servant Leadership?,” Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership (blog), accessed October 14, 2021, https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/.
2 Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996), 43.