Jesus' Model of Leadership: The Servant of the Lord
12:00 PM
‘Who is the servant of the Lord?’ This was the question that the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ethiopia asked the evangelist Philip in Acts 8: ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ (v.34).
The title ‘servant of the Lord’
is one of great dignity, reserved for leaders such as Abraham, Moses
and David. But in the four ‘servant songs’ (Isaiah 42:1–4; 49:1–7;
50:4–9; 52:13–53:12) a distinct concept of ‘servanthood’ comes into
sharper focus.
The
role of this ‘servant’ can be demonstrated visually with the St
Andrew’s cross. (St Andrew, brother of Peter, is believed to have died
on a diagonally traversed cross, which the Romans sometimes used for
execution. It therefore came to be called the St Andrew’s cross, and is
the flag of Scotland.)
Originally,
God intended that all humankind should be his servant. Then, after the
fall, God chose the whole nation of Israel to serve him. But even his
chosen race was not faithful to him. So the focus, continuing to narrow,
became a mere ‘faithful remnant’. Ultimately, only one individual was
completely faithful (shown by the central, most narrow part of the
cross). This was Jesus.
Jesus
revealed what Israel (and indeed humankind) should have been. He was an
Israelite sent to Israel, totally identifying with his nation, and yet
remaining distinct from it. No earthly king or prophet meets the
description used in all the servant passages. Yet, Jesus does –
perfectly.
Where
Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. Furthermore, it is God’s plan that the
church, through the victory of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit,
can and should succeed. So the St Andrew’s cross broadens out again as
the members of the church of Jesus Christ become the servants of God
with a mission to call all humanity back to their original creation
purpose.
Love ya, Roxy
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