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What did Jesus say about church leadership?  He told us that we have one teacher, Jesus himself, and that we, his followers, are all equals:

“you have one teacher and you are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8)

“…you have one teacher: the Christ” (Matthew 23:10)

Jesus’ disciples, like most men, were competitive.  They kept arguing among themselves about who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34; Luke 9:46; Luke 22:24).  Two of them even wanted Jesus to promise that they would have the highest positions in his kingdom (Matthew 20:20-21; Mark 10:35-37).  But Jesus kept telling his followers that the greatest among them would be the one who was a servant to others.

 ^“The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Jesus also told the twelve that their behavior towards each other must be very different to the behaviors of those who were “great” in human institutions.

“You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.  It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave…”  (Matthew 20:25-27.  See also Mark 10:42-44; Luke 22:24-26)

And, in his next words, Jesus gave himself as the example of humble service that his disciples were to follow.

“… just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45.  See also Luke 22:27)

So, Jesus made it clear that his followers were to be humble servants of each other – just as he had taken on the role of a servant.

Jesus also used a small child as an example of how his followers were to humble themselves.  (A small child had no honor or status in that society.)

…the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  He called a little child to him and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4. See also Luke 9:46-48).

Did Jesus ever suggest that some of his followers were to have authority over others?  Some Christians have used Jesus’ words to Peter “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18) to argue that Jesus appointed Peter as leader over the other disciples, instituting a hierarchical structure for his church.  However, his words do not indicate that Peter should be over others.  The very idea of a rock upon which Christ will build his church shows that Peter would be a foundation, supporting others, not an authority figure.  Peter himself never claimed authority over others, describing himself as a “fellow elder” (1 Peter 5:1) and encouraging other elders to shepherd their flocks “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:3)

Jesus’ teaching consistently confirmed that none of his followers were to have authority over others.  Instead they were to be humble servants of one another.  Jesus also told them not to seek, or accept, honor from others (Luke 14:7-11.  See also Matthew 23:1-12).  In telling his followers not to seek positions of authority or honor, Jesus was telling them to behave in ways that went completely against the culture of his time.  In Eastern Mediterranean cultures in the 1^st Century, the seeking of honor was extremely important; particularly for men who wanted to get on in the world.  Religious leaders loved honor, and Jesus saw this and criticized them for it:

^“They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi’.” (Matthew 23:6-7)

 

Jesus called twelve of his followers “apostles” (Matthew 10:1-4; Luke 6:13-16. See also Mark 3:14-19).   When we consider Jesus’ teachings outlined above, it seems clear that “apostle” could not have been a title that conferred authority or honor on the person receiving it.  The word “apostle” means one who is sent, so it may just have been a job description.  Jesus sent the apostles out to preach (Mark 3:14).  They were, in today’s language, missionaries.  Jesus told his followers that they were not even to address each other using titles that gave honor, such as “Rabbi”, “Father” or “Teacher” (Matthew 23:8-10).  So it seems very unlikely, from this passage and the others quoted in this article, that he would have given some of his disciples a title that gave them honor or authority over others.  There is nothing in these passages to suggest that the apostles were given authority over other disciples by Jesus.  And it seems that the apostles eventually learned this lesson, because I cannot find one passage in the whole of the New Testament where one of the twelve claimed to have authority over other followers of Jesus.  (Let me know if you find one.  Seriously – let me know.  Leave a comment, or email me: peter@followtheteachingsofjesus.com).

 

Followers of Jesus who hold positions of responsibility in Christian communities today need to take these teachings seriously.  Although it is tempting to enjoy the respect and deference of others, Jesus teaches us that we are all equals and we must all serve each other in true humility.

Finally, you may have noticed that many of Jesus’ teachings on this topic come from Matthew 23.  If you are interested in Jesus’ teaching on church leadership, it’s worth reading the whole of this chapter carefully and prayerfully.  At the start of the chapter (vs 1-12) Jesus contrasts the way he expects his followers to behave with the behavior of the religious leaders of his time.  He then launches into a brutal criticism of those religious leaders.  He repeatedly uses the same phrase to describe them.  This is usually translated as “You hypocrites” in modern English bibles, but the Greek word actually means “actor”.  So, it means someone who is acting a part, or pretending to be someone they are not.  “You hypocrites” does not really get this across.  We might get a better sense of what Jesus was saying if we translated his words as “you fakes”, “you shysters” or “you charlatans”.

If we want to be effective workers in the Kingdom of our loving Father, we must take these teachings of Jesus very seriously.  None of us are chosen by our loving Father to have authority over others.  We are all called to be humble servants of our sisters and brothers in his loving family.

May our loving, heavenly Father bless us, and keep us safe, and keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Jesus.

Jesus is Lord.

Peter O

 

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