Don't you love just how much foresight Jesus had in His ministry? He always had a strategic and prophetic tone in His decision making. One way that shows just how forward-thinking and perceiving Jesus was is in the way that He handled His leaders-in-training.
Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. He knew that Peter would deny Him. He also knew that the sons of thunder -- James and John -- would have pride issues as leaders. Really? The last one might sound like a first, but definitely He knew that that was coming and fortunately was able to keep it from happening.
This account is found in Matthew chapter 20, where the mother of James and John approaches Jesus and asks Him to appoint James and John to higher positions of ministry. You can just imagine James and John rubbing their hands together thinking, "Mom's definitely gonna get us those jobs."
But Jesus knows that they aren't looking for influence but for position and the perks and authority that come with it.
In response, Jesus says to the disciples in Matthew 20:26-28, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus's model of leadership was revolutionary in that it was what everyone was used to, but one that people loved right away. Jesus's example of leading by serving is crucial in every application of leadership because it is only in servant leadership that we avoid the greatest pitfall of leaders -- pride.
One can only count the many leaders and empires that fell because of pride. We look at history and learn from Alexander the Great, Emperor Nero, Napoleon Bonaparte and many other leader figures who had great momentum only to lose that momentum because they couldn't keep their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground.
Jesus's framework of leadership is foolproof in that it brings results and at the same time keeps the leader safe from himself or herself and the painful downfall that would be brought about by an unchecked level of pride.
We all need to follow the example of Jesus as a servant leader -- who was God in the flesh, but gave up His deity to serve as a mortal prophet those who did not even deserve His grace and favor.
Philippians 2:6-7 says let us look to Jesus "...Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness."
