A Gospel Enquiry
Introduction
As I reflected on Jesus’ words in the Gospel passage below, I came to recognise the origin of the notion of “servant leadership,” which I heard bandied about at school without reference to its source.
Later, as I searched for a suitable image to put with the Gospel Enquiry I had prepared, I happened upon a blog titled “A Semantic Malfunction: Come and see a humble teacher’s life…”
The blogger articulates five characteristics of a Bosconian (a member of a school founded in the name of St John Bosco):
- Being God-centred
- Being socially responsible
- Being joyful and optimistic
- Using technology with a soul
- Being passionate for excellence
I am sure that, like me, you recognise the relevance of these characteristics for someone aspiring to be a servant-leader.
And so I invite you to make use of the blogger’s post as you engage in this enquiry. Any one of the five characteristics will serve as a “coathanger” off which to hang your reflection and action.
The Gospel
The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Matthew 20:20-28)
The Enquiry
See
- What is happening here? Create a “cause and effect” list of all that happens in the passage. What can be added from the context of the passage in Matthew’s Gospel?
- What does Jesus’ response reveal about his values? What is happening in the world today that points to the need for his values to be promoted?
- What happened to those who tried to follow Jesus and to live according to his teaching?
Judge
- What do you think of Jesus’ teaching about leadership?
- What message does the world give about the values that leaders need to hold? How do those values relate to the five characteristics of a Bosconian?
- What does your faith tell you about how to be a leader and to form leaders with the values modelled by Jesus?
Act
- What change do you want to see in the leadership being exercised in the world so that the kingdom of God will come and the world be transformed?
- What small action can you take that will contribute to bringing about this change?
- Who can you involve in your action and how, when, where and how often will you get them to participate in your action?
Author: Pat Branson
Image Source: Bosconian Servant Leader: Family Day T-shirt, Creator: Jardek, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.