Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Kind of Leader Are You? | Learning to Follow Jesus | Luke 22.7-38

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. And I'm Keith Simon. Right now, we're learning what it looks like to follow Jesus by working our way through the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is beginning the last night of his life before his crucifixion. He eats Passover with his disciples, a meal which is intentionally recalling the Exodus when God rescued his people from Egypt. and they all ate a meal before he liberated them. But if we saw the Last Supper today, we might actually think of communion, because that's

Starting point is 00:00:40 where communion started. Jesus is renewing God's covenant with Israel, and he's turning his disciples into a new Israel. And so I think he kind of got to love what happens next, right? So it's this amazing moment, this Exodus moment, we're a new Israel, and what do the disciples do? Luke 22, 24. They began to argue competitively among themselves.

Starting point is 00:01:01 who seem to be the greatest of them? Seriously? I mean, is this a frat house? Jesus is starting the new Israel and we're sitting around bragging about who's the greatest? This strikes us as super strange today because it's considered impolite to brag. Honestly, that's probably too nice.

Starting point is 00:01:18 People who boldly brag about themselves, at least in our culture, they are considered proud, rude, out of touch, almost laughable, right? If you saw someone doing it, you kind of snicker. This is why it's so important for Americans to master the art of humble bragging. Bragging without looking like you're bragging.

Starting point is 00:01:35 But in the ancient Roman world, bragging wasn't looked at that way. In fact, bragging was socially acceptable. It wasn't just socially acceptable. It was actually socially responsible. It was expected. People needed to know their place. And the way that you did that as an ancient Roman was that you needed to constantly be ready to lay out your verbal CV,

Starting point is 00:01:55 to on a moment's notice, be ready to tell people, here's everything on my resume. In Rome, they would have called this the cursus honorum. That's Latin for the road to honor. And every Roman citizen was expected to kind of claw his way up the curses honorum, making as much of him or herself as possible to bring glory to yourself and glory to the family name. So let's step back into the story. Jesus renews God's covenant with the disciples. And they are this new Israel, right? And I guess they must be thinking, well, I guess it's time to get on the curses honorum, right? It's time to start sorting out who's going to be the best, who's going to be the greatest in this new Israel.

Starting point is 00:02:32 And of course, each guy's thinking, I've got to stake my claim at the top. You can imagine Peter. He's like, hey, guys, I'm Jesus's favorite. Or Matthews saying, well, hold on a second. Has anybody grown spiritually as much as I have? Or maybe James and John saying, hey, we left behind successful businesses. We gave up way more than any of you. It seems as though they think that Jesus is new Israel, this new thing he's starting. They think it's going to be very, very Roman. And of course, we can easily think the same way.

Starting point is 00:03:01 Why do we easily take a famous pastor more seriously than we take a not famous pastor? Or how often do we sanctify, make a big deal out of getting a following? Like, oh, well, that person's got a following, so they really must be worth listening to. How often do we sanctify moving up the ladder and doing whatever you have to do to get to the top, to be the one in charge? See, sometimes when you look at the church, we seem to think that this new Israel, this group of people that were a part of, is supposed to be very Roman indeed. Let's pick up the story in verse 25. So Jesus said to them, the kings over the nations rule by dominating. Those who exercise authority over them call themselves

Starting point is 00:03:41 benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules, like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who stood by me in my trials. And I bestow on you just as my father bestowed on me a kingly authority so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So in the last two verses there, Jesus makes a profound statement. He says that the disciples, they really are going to share in his authority, his kingly authority. He says you'll even sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.

Starting point is 00:04:30 But I find it fascinating that he doesn't say this first. He only tells the disciples that they'll have kingly authority once he's clarified the kind of rule, the kind of kingly authority that they're supposed to exercise. And ironically, it's a kind of ruling that turns the world's vision of leadership upside down. How does the world rule? Well, Jesus tells us, he says the kings, they rule over the nations by dominating. And people who exercise authority over others, they call themselves benefactors. So how do normal kings rule? Well, Jesus says, look, they use their power to dominate and to elevate themselves above others to say, hey, you and me, we may both be humans, but we're not really the same. I'm kind of important. This makes me think of Mike Davis, aka Tiger Mike.

Starting point is 00:05:16 I don't know how someone gets a nickname like that, but so it goes. Now this guy, he was a chauffeur who worked his way up from being a chauffeur all the way to being the CEO of a major oil company. And so how would this guy use his power? I mean, he knew what it was like to be at the bottom. He knew what it was like to have no power. So did he used the power that he got his CEO to help those kinds of people out? I'm just going to read you a few of his memos that he sent out to the entire company in 1978. Check this out. Idle conversation and gossip in this office among employees will result in immediate termination. And then in all caps, do your jobs and keep your mouth shut. How about this one?

Starting point is 00:05:57 There will be no more birthday celebrations, birthday cakes, levity, or celebrations of any kind within this office. This is a business office. If you have to celebrate, do it after office hours on your own time. Or how about this one? I cuss. But since I'm the owner of this company, that's my privilege. And this privilege is not to be interpreted as the same for any employee.

Starting point is 00:06:20 That differentiates me from you, and I want to keep it that way. There will be absolutely no cussing by any employee male or female in this office ever. In every possible way, Tiger Mike, he used his power to dominate, to use people, to magnify and glorify himself. Now, I hardly know anybody who would talk that brazenly to someone's face, much less send a memo out to an entire company because it's cold. but I do know people who silence others with the weight of their presence. Maybe that's us. You know someone who silences?

Starting point is 00:06:56 Maybe the person who silences others with your presence. People who think of themselves as special. You know, they're kind of like, hey, you ought to listen to me. Don't you know who I am? People who think that they're where they're at because they're so brilliant, who think that they have what they have because it's for themselves and they use it to privilege themselves. People who love standing out above their peons.

Starting point is 00:07:18 we all know people like that. Every person I know doesn't just know a person like that. We all kind of love to be like that deep down. We don't all have the same chance to do it, but we'd all kind of like to be the biggest, most important, most influential, most wealthy person in the room. And Jesus says this isn't how his followers lead. So how should they lead? Jesus says, you need to lead the way that I lead. Verse 26, but you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules, like the one who serves. For who's greater, the one who's at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who's at the table, but I am among you as one who serves? How does Jesus lead? By being the biggest, most important person in the room? No, Jesus leads by serving,

Starting point is 00:08:17 by washing feet, by laying down his life. How do you identify a true leader in Jesus' kingdom? Here's what Jesus says. Look for me. Look for anybody who looks like me. Early in the 1900s, there's the story of a hotel concierge. And he's the only one working in the hotel late at night when an elderly couple comes in from the outside. And outside, there's just this crazy torrential downpour. And they're worried about getting sick if they go back out into the rain. So they ask him, do you have any rooms?

Starting point is 00:08:49 And he tells them he's sorry, there's no space. Crestfallen, they turn back around, and they get ready to walk back out into the rain. But the concierge stops them right before they're about to go. Actually, hold on. Look, it's really small, and there's no amenities. But we do have one room left, if you don't mind that. And they're so grateful, they're just like, yes, we'll take it. We don't care.

Starting point is 00:09:11 And the concierge says, okay, give me a second. I have to go get the room set up. When they get upstairs, they realize that the room that he's given them, it's not a hotel room at all. It's his personal room. He'd cleared all of his stuff out of it so that they could stay there. About a month later, the concierge gets a call. And the guy on the other side of the phone says, hello, I'm the owner of the Waldorf Astoria hotel chain, and I'm looking for someone to manage all of my hotels, and I think that you're the guy.

Starting point is 00:09:41 And the concierge, he's super confused. He's shocked. He says, hey, I think you've got the wrong. wrong person, who are you looking for? But the man on the phone stops him. He says, no, no, no, no. Were you the concierge who gave my wife and I your room so that we wouldn't have to go back out into the cold rain? The concierge says, yeah, that was me. And he says, when you did that, I recognized the right leader. I recognize the right manager, the right person to take charge of my hotels because that's how a real leader leads. If Jesus walked into your house, your apartment,

Starting point is 00:10:15 your workplace? Would he recognize a leader in the mold of the world? Or would he recognize a leader in the mold of himself? If he walked to wherever you work, wherever you live, would he see you as a leader in the mold of Tiger Mike? Would he see someone who was self-important? He thought, my thing is always the most important thing all the time, who commanded people embossed them around and felt frustrated when people didn't see how important I am? Or if you walked into your house, your apartment, your workplace, would he see a leader after his own heart? Someone who reminds him or herself every day, I'm not the most important person in the room. I'm here to serve. If someone needs my bed, I give up my bed. I lay down my self-interest. I go to the end of the

Starting point is 00:11:04 line. I use my powers to bless others, to privilege others, to elevate others, not myself. Jesus's point to his disciples is shocking. The kingdom of God doesn't come by me. means of ordinary power. It doesn't come by demanding, conquering, self-aggrandizing. God's kingdom only comes by means of humility, meatness, and self-sacrifice. True power. True power looks like dying on a cross. World-changing power is forgiving unto death. So if your heart is, like so many of our hearts, and you feel a little more like Tiger Mike than King Jesus, there's a good chance that you are building the kingdom of the devil more than you're building the kingdom of God. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can all repent and come to Jesus and say, Jesus, would you conform my life to the

Starting point is 00:11:55 pattern of your life? Jesus, would you help me to see the beauty and the true power of self-sacrificial love? Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who can could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Kind of Leader Are You? | Learning to Follow Jesus | Luke 22.7-38

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