Rev. Don Campbell
Matthew 20-21
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019
“THE INVERTED PYRAMID”
The disciples were jockeying for position in the coming kingdom, and Jesus rebuked them, saying, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
In the world, authority is a top-down paradigm, which we can visualize by a pyramid with the top dog at the peak of the pyramid. The aspiring top dogs are next, and on the bottom are the pack. Jesus inverts the pyramid, saying that the greatest is the one who serves the most.
A man who has not demonstrated that he is following Jesus in service prior to being appointed to an office is not likely to follow Jesus in service after he is appointed.
I am often amazed that congregations select—or at least do not protest the selection and appointment of men to lead the flock whose only claim to leadership is that they are astute businessmen who have accumulated above-average material possessions or are they are managers of someone else’s business. At the same time, some secular scholars of leadership are beginning to use the term “servant leaders” in contrast to older managerial styles that were dictatorial and overbearing. Being a good businessman, a good boss, or a good middle manager is not necessarily evidence that one is following Jesus in service. In fact, it may sometimes indicate the opposite.
If you want to be a leader, first go and find someone to serve.
CONNECTIONS
1. Were the ten indignant at James and John because the other understood servant leadership (v. 24), or did they desire the same position and believed the two sought unfair advantage by having their mother, Jesus’ maternal aunt, ask for this special favor?
2. Jesus inverted the pyramid, but did he abolish all authority, creating a totally democratic church? (See Hebrews 13:17).
