Jesus Defines Leadership, John 10:1-10

The focus of John 10:1-10 (The Good Shepherd) is leadership set in the context of sheep, sheepfold and shepherd. When some person seeks power and authority, how can we tell the difference between the shepherd and the shyster, between being blessed or being bamboozled, between those who are prophets and those who seek to profit, between those who pray with the flock and those who prey upon the flock? (The Very Reverend John D. Payne, Trinity Episcopal Church, Wichita Falls, Texas)

​

How can we tell a true leader from the one who seeks only personal glorification? We do it the same way art experts test the authenticity of a work of art; by comparing it to the authentic work of the artist.

​

The Christian community must evaluate national and local leaders, ministers and mission, church programs and individual spiritual formation, alongside the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ ministry. Authentic faithfulness to serve others bears the marks, shares the vision, and takes part in the goals of the ministry of Jesus. This is why John 10:7 refers to Jesus as the “gate”, the only legitimate way in and out of the sheepfold. It is through him that we enter the safety of the fold; it is through him that we go out confidently in search of green pasture. He is our way to the peace described in Psalm 23.

​

How can we tell the difference between the true shepherd and the shyster? I Peter 2:19-25 provides illumination. The true leader is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sheep as an expression of their own personal love, their own self-gift for those whom they are called to serve.

​

The story of Stephen in Acts 6 is a dramatic example of risk and suffering. Stephen was among the first seven deacons set apart to serve the Jerusalem Christian community. He was supposed to “wait tables” so that the apostles could devote their time to the ministry of evangelism, teaching and healing. Making sack lunches for the widows of Jerusalem, while important, turned out to be among the lesser of Stephen’s gifts. Once apostolic hands were laid on him, all the grace and power that poured into him spilled over into incredible signs and wonders. Maybe the original intention was for him to stir the soup, but he ended up stirring the Holy Spirit that changed lives.

When you put Stephen and Jesus together it’s pretty hard to deny that his is what a true shepherd looks like: not convincing another they are wrong because they think different than you; NOT USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO EXPRESS YOURSELF; not even having a congregation go out of its way to be generous, but telling the truth so clearly that some people want to kill us for it. A true shepherd gets so wrapped up in living God’s truth that they never consider protecting themselves. They forget to look out for their own safety because they are consumed with the safety of others.

How can we tell the difference between the true and the false leader, between the shepherd who feeds and the one who fleeces? By putting the one and Jesus Christ together. True leadership exhibits sacrificial love and draws people into the realm of grace, while false leaders self-serve at the expense of the common good.

​

Blessings, Rev. Colby Smith