As Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built, so are his teachings the unifying cornerstone of Christian doctrine.

Domineering vs Sacrificial Leadership

The new Mercedes Maybach Landaulet is perhaps the best luxury car ever made. One option is to have accessories encrusted with diamonds. It gives the greatest among us an opulent self-indulgent ride in almost total silence. Wait! Did I say the greatest? I'm sure you picked that up right away. Few of the greatest among us care for such things as boring self-indulgence. The great care for others.

In Matthew 20 Jesus compared James and John's ambitions for high positions in the kingdom to the domineering rulers of this world. Every nation from antiquity has sought to rule roughshod over its peoples with extortion (excise taxes), curtailment of freedoms (ostensibly for national protection), and discrimination towards those who do not blindly follow.

"Greatness, honor, and prestige in the kingdom of God are reckoned by a completely different standard in the community of Jesus’ disciples" (Hagner, D. A. (2002). Vol. 33B: Word Biblical Commentary : Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary (581). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)

Jesus said to his disciples that in his kingdom, the first are to be slaves of all. Now that is strange to our ears. How can two seemingly contradictory polar opposites, exaltedness and servitude both be greatness? How can the ignominy of the cross be the greatest act of true leadership in all history?

Wait! I'm not done yet. Now I want you to imagine a family kidnapped in Mexico City, apparently a popular revenue stream there. In this case, they will take as ransom the servitude of a billionaire family member upon whom they wish to have revenge. Can you envision, a man who may own a fleet of Maybachs, stepping out of his luxurious lifestyle to become a slave and die at the hands of his family's kidnappers, so that they can be free? It's somewhat similar to what Jesus did. In Matthew 20:28 we are told that he gave his life as a ransom for us. In this ancient biblical analogy, a ransom was the price paid to set a slave free. That setting free for a price was called redemption.

Why did Jesus mention this topic of sacrificial leadership so often? Could it be because we just don't get it? As I read these passages, I see how addicted I am to this world's definitions of prestige, and how utterly depraved my understanding is of what true greatness actually entails. Self-sacrificing leadership is what I want to learn, rather than the self-indulgent leadership that is so over-promoted in our world. How about you?

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