Reflection
Our Gospel reading today is about leadership. Jesus is speaking to the people and to his disciples, who of course will be the leadership of the early church and the models for future generations of leadership. The Jewish people at that time were suffering from poor leadership. The Sadducees ran temple worship in Jerusalem, but they neglected their roles in catechesis – teaching the people about God. Into this role stepped the Pharisees, who unfortunately were more skilled in manipulating the law to serve their own personal interests than they were in teaching God’s will. They do not practice what they preach. Yet most interestingly, Jesus does not advocate that people disobey them. He acknowledges that despite their abuse of leadership, their authority ultimately comes from God and that therefore they are to be obeyed. He points to the distinction between obedience vs. following. He tells them to obey, but not to follow – not to “do as they do”.
Jesus is teaching his disciples and laying the groundwork for future generations of Church leadership. Contrasting with the Pharisees, his leaders are to live for others and to always place God at the center of all that they are and all that they do. Jesus uses hyperbole (striking overstatements) to make key points. He reminds us that honorific titles such as Rabbi, Master and even Father can never supplant the centrality of God in the hearts of his followers/leaders. Christian leadership is servant leadership. “The greatest among you must be your servant”.
It’s the diametric opposite of the leadership of the Pharisees (or any today who seek power for the wrong reasons). Rather than self-aggrandizing, it's about self-emptying (kenosis). Jesus here reveals the key to all Christian leadership. At its core is humility. It is in giving that we receive. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”. This theme appears many times in scripture (see Luke 14:11, Luke 18:14, 1Peter 5:6, James 4:10 and several others) This is the model for Church leadership that has spanned the centuries to The Church today.
Today’s Questions for Prayer and Reflection
How can I achieve a deeper level of humility in my life? How might I exalt the humble who I encounter in my life?