pat loughery

I was reading through John this evening and noticed something again that I think is worth a quick blurb.

In John 1:29-42, we see Jesus’ cousin John doing his thing: baptising people in preparation for what he considers to be a turning point in the history of his nation; calling people to purity and holiness, and inciting curiousity in his hearers so that when the moment is right, he can introduce Jesus to them, and them to Jesus.

There’s a remarkable passage for me in 1:35-37. John, probably not yet at the peak of his ministry if I can gauge the rest of John’s story within the gospels, sees Jesus cruising by and points him out to two of his disciples. Their immediate response in verse 37 is to follow Jesus – figuratively, but also literally. They go to where he’s hanging out for the night and the next day, and they be with him.

Now, for many of us, a leadership role isn’t the easiest thing to embrace. Leadership requires understanding who you are and what you’re up to, who and what you’re leading. It requires clarity of focus and patiently explaining to others what you’re about and how they can be involved. Knowing yourself as a leader means that you have to know where you’re going, and who’s supposed to be on the road with you. A Christian leader must constantly clarify and proclaim vision, purpose, passion. She or he must balance relationship and community with intentionality. The role of a Christian leader is difficult, and at times seems impossible.

Todd Hunter likes to ask this question of Christian leaders that he speaks to: what does it mean to lead people who are supposed to be following someone else? That question is the question in my mind.

In this story, John the Baptist gets it right. His work isn’t done yet – he’s got a lot of people to prepare still, but in this moment he does what any good Christian leader should do: he points his followers to Jesus, and says, ‘hey, that’s who you should follow’.

In so doing, John loses power. He loses followers, friendships and influence. But he transfers these concepts and the people who represent them those to where they ought to live. He gives them over to relationship with Jesus.

What would it look like if we as Christian leaders were constantly on the lookout for ways that we can give away our power, followers, friendships and influence into relationship with Jesus?