Dear Student of the Word,
We are almost finished with the study of Luke's gospel. This week we look at the account of the Last Supper, which contains important information about the Lord's Table or communion, as well as a lesson on leadership. Let's look at the entry that includes that leadership lesson, which is part five of the seven-part study that can be downloaded below:
Study Thirty, Part Five
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
22:24 – The disciples quickly transitioned from an interrogation of who may betray Jesus to a discussion of who was the greatest. What a topic at a time like that! What’s more, they had this discussion before and Jesus had answered their question:
An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all-he is the greatest” (Luke 9:46-48).
Don’t judge the disciples too harshly, however, for we still have these arguments and debates. I am always trying to justify why people should treat me better. My feelings get hurt when I am slighted. Why? It’s because I think I deserve better. Why? It’s because I think I am greater than the person who is mistreating me. In a sense, therefore, I am continuing the debate that the disciples conducted about who is the greatest.
Jesus is our model for behavior, not the apostles or any other person. How did Jesus deal with the greatness issue? Read what Paul wrote:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:1-8).
Your attitude should be the same as the one Christ had – that is our goal. So are your feelings hurt right now? What would Jesus do? Have you been slighted and overlooked? What would Jesus do? Don’t try to avoid answering by saying, “I’m not Jesus.” You’re right – you’re not, but you are commanded to have the same attitude that He had. Therefore, it must be within the scope of our free will to choose to react like Jesus when we are wronged.
22:25 – The word benefactor catches my attention in this verse. A benefactor means “doer of good” in Latin. Jesus did not allow His leaders to take authority over another person even when it was in that person’s best interests to do so. We are to be servant leaders, pure and simple. That means we must influence people and not exercise authority over them. We have a lot to learn as leaders today. In many instances, all you hear about is authority and submission, but without the balance of servant leadership, the power can easily corrupt God’s leaders.
22:26 – Leadership is service; it isn’t about power, money, vision, or position. If anyone is a leader in God’s church, they should keep in mind Paul’s instructions to leaders:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).
That requires that leaders get close to their people, listen to them, hear what God is doing in their lives, and then use their power and gifts to equip the people for ministry. We seem to have that reversed today. The people are using their gifts to equip the men and women of God for ministry.
Before you judge any leader that you know, be careful. Where you are leading, are you a servant leader? If you aren’t leading, now is the time to decide what kind of leader you will be. I urge you to be a servant leader, but be warned: It isn’t easy.
22:27 – Once again we see that Jesus is to be our model – not any other leader. We cannot justify what we do by saying that we aren’t as bad as others or better than most. Jesus is our standard. How do you measure up to His leadership model?
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.
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