Path to Greatness
What is the sign of a good leader?
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again." James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Mark 10:32-45
A good leader is someone who raises up those who follow them, giving them a chance to be great on their own.
James and John asked Jesus to raise them up so they could be great and Jesus warned them about what they were asking.
It wasn't that Jesus didn't want them to rise up to greatness. He knew they would face many trials because of him. He wanted them to know that the path to greatness is not what they expect.
For those who wish to follow Jesus, the path to greatness is one of service.
A leader in God's kingdom gives opportunities to others to lead. A leader is humble. A leader shines the light on those who seek to lead so they can learn to do the same for those they lead.
All to often, I see people grabbing the glory, wanting the light to shine on them so everyone knows they were the ones who came up with the great idea or who did the good work.
These are not true leaders. The example they set is one of ego and self-worth.
The example they show the world is a selfish one.
Usually they don't see that what they are doing is wrong. They believe they are being overlooked, undervalued, because their focus is on themselves.
They don't even see these things in themselves, but they do see the fault in others.
James and John will be remembered for wanting to be great, and that is a shame. They should be remembered for the good they did and the sacrifices they made to follow Jesus.
We all pick the things we believe bring us greatness, whether we realize we do or not.
It is a built in desire, to be great, to be remembered, to be loved for who we are.
The path is not hard to follow for those who see themselves as givers. It is hard for the takers.
More to come...