Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

“And [Jesus]sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’”

+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.             
 
This is an election year, and our election season has been full of controversy and conflict. At the heart of this conflict is a profound distrust of our government and of our institutions, including schools, businesses, and churches. And the heart of this mistrust is the increasing belief that these institutions are no longer serving the people they were created to serve but have become self-serving and unaccountable entities whose policies seem to benefit only those running the institution.
           
Let me cite some examples: First, the Covid pandemic led to widespread lockdowns and mandates, including mask and vaccine mandates. There was a notable lack of transparency about the scientific data supporting these policies. Now, four years later, it has been revealed that there was little or no scientific data supporting lockdowns, mask mandates, or social distancing. Furthermore, the Covid vaccine that was given to millions of people was proven to be ineffective in many cases and led to harmful side effects in many others. None of these events has resulted in greater humility or transparency on the part of public health officials.
           
Second, the American Big Three automakers are facing dealership revolts over the fact that the automakers embraced government mandates regarding EV’s and spent billions to make EVs that the public won’t buy. The dealers are stuck with inventory they cannot sell, while prices for internal combustion engine cars are driven higher by inflation and scarcity. While the leadership of these companies are starting to retreat on their commitment to EVs, executives continue to make huge salaries even as their companies lose money.
           
Third, the leaders of many churches meekly submitted to government mandates to close their churches during the Covid pandemic. Only a few church leaders ever spoke out against government dictates to close churches. Many leaders, particularly in the Episcopal Church, imposed strict bans on church services, thus depriving their own people access to the Sacraments and to public worship.
           
When you look at human history, you will discover that self-serving bad leadership is not unusual, it is commonplace. It was the norm during the time of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah after David and Solomon, with a few notable exceptions. And it was certainly true in Jesus’ time.
           
And it is with this backdrop in mind that we discover that Jesus’ commandments regarding true leadership are both startling and inspiring. We discover that Jesus’ teaching about leadership is rooted in His way of exercising His ministry as the Messiah.
           
Today’s passage from St. Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ foretelling of His coming death and resurrection. Jesus tells them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.” This statement is both painful and controversial to the disciples, because they expect Jesus to be a King David style Messiah, who will drive out the Romans and re-establish the Davidic monarchy. They expect that they will be a part of this new ruling elite. But Jesus’ statements underscore the fact that His Kingdom will be established not by war and conquest, but through the Cross. Jesus intends to be the suffering servant described in Isaiah 53.
           
This truth is underscored later, when Jesus overhears the disciples arguing about who is the greatest among them. Many of us who have been watching The Chosen video series have noted that when Jesus responds to Simon’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus declares that Simon is now Peter the rock, and that Peter will be the leader of the disciples with the authority to act in Jesus’ name. This stirs up feelings of jealousy and rivalry among the disciples, who want to make a case for their own contributions to “the cause.” Jesus intervenes and gathers the disciples together to redirect them. He tells them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
           
This statement is a radical departure from what was the traditional method of leadership. In those days, as well as today, to be the leader was to be “large and in charge.” The leader was the boss, and you had to do what the leader said. The leader got special privileges, and he could act arbitrarily if he wanted to. The disciples witness this firsthand with the behavior of their Roman overlords and their local puppet rulers like King Herod. They even see it in the behavior of local tax collectors and the Jewish religious establishment.
           
But Jesus turns their understanding and experience of leadership on its head. According to Jesus, being the leader does not make you “large and in charge.” Rather, the leader is the one who is “last of all and servant of all.” Jesus says that true leaders are the ones who serve others and put their needs first. True leaders are ones who put the needs of the institution, the customer and the public first, even children, who were usually overlooked in ancient times.
           
Jesus demonstrates His own commitment by His life and ministry. He is constantly at work: healing, teaching, and serving. He washes the disciples’ feet. Then Jesus goes to the Cross and dies a painful and shameful death for the salvation of humanity. Jesus is the true Servant-King. His Kingship and His commandments are all rooted in obedience to His Father’s will and His love for all of us. Jesus is more than simply “large and in-charge.” For Jesus is, as it says in Luke 6:35, “kind to the ungrateful and evil.”
           
In this way, then, Jesus defines leadership as discipleship. To lead means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and to learn His ways. To lead means to embrace humility and accept responsibility. When I think about those who have been great leaders, they have all embraced these aspects of Jesus’ teaching: They put the needs of the organization and those around them first. They will do what they expect others to do. They are “the last of all and the servant of all.”

​+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.