When you decide to do something, you don’t work in a vacuum. You look for models. You look for examples. You look to your training and your experience.

Sometimes, you want to be exactly like someone. Sometimes you want to be nothing like someone.

(For example, when I was a young father and faculty member, I looked at how a couple other people were raising their children, were being parents and said, “I won’t be like that.” In some ways I wasn’t. In some ways I was.)

There are lots of leadership experts. There are lots of people anxious to tell you exactly how to guide people, how to win friends and influence people. You could spend all your time reading about leadership–which would leave you no time to get around to working with people.

Or you could look at Jesus.

Ten of his disciples were hollering because two of his disciples had asked for status positions. The two were working from a model that said “To get ahead, ask. Be bold. Network. Ask.” The ten assumed that it was a model that must work (otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten so mad, right?)

Jesus says it’s a model that works for the Romans, but that’s not a model we should follow.

It’s a good point. Why look to those who are oppressing you for a model of how to lead? Instead, Jesus says, serve. Choose to be a slave to the people you want to lead.

Why?

Because, Jesus says, that’s what he’s doing.

He isn’t doing whatever the disciples want. In fact, he often doesn’t do what they want. But he is completely devoted to doing what they need to live. He is giving up his life, completely, for the good of the people he is leading, for us.