Deeper ReflectionChristian leaders – in whatever settings – are to lead as followers
of Jesus. That means, follow the way Jesus leads.
Jesus leads at
three levels simultaneously and holistically.Leading as the Highest: In John 13, when did Jesus wash His disciples’
feet? It was when Jesus “knowing that the Father has given all things
into His hands” (v.3). It was when He was “conscious of the universal
sovereignty conferred on Him by His Father, fully aware of His heavenly
origin and destiny”
19 . Jesus washed His disciples’ feet as “the Lord and the
Teacher” (Jn 13:13-14). God endows authority on Christian leaders to lead,
such that their followers must submit to them (Heb 13:17). That’s top-down leadership.
Leading as the Lowest: Jesus, knowing that He is the highest (v.3), He
does the lowest: He washed His disciples’ feet (v.4). “Foot washing was
normally carried out by a servant, not by those participating in the meal, and
certainly not by the one presiding at the meal.”
20 Jesus washed His disciples’
feet in six condescending steps (vv.4-5). That’s bottom-up leadership.
But Jesus’ disciples “saw a rare unfolding of the authority and glory of
the incarnate Word, and a rare declaration of the character of the Father
Himself”
21 . Jesus can be at the highest and at the lowest at the same time.
Leading as an Equal: Jesus, who is “the Lord and the Teacher” of His
disciples (vv.13-14), is also their Brother. After His resurrection, He
called them “My brethren”, for His Father and God is their Father and
God (Jn 20:17; cf. Heb 2:10-17).
19 F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John (Eerdmans, 1983), 280
20 Colin G. Kruse, John, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (IVP, 2003), 280
21 F. F. Bruce, 280
