Judas, Is It You?

Kristyano kuno…In the gospel of John in line with Maundy Thursday, Jesus said this after washing the disciples’ feet: “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example, that as I have done, you also may do. Thus, the concept of servant leadership was borne out of the traditional “imposing and authoritative” type of leading people.

But in reality, there are still those so-called leaders in our midst who want to be pampered and vowed as if they are major deities or gods of sorts. They raise their voices to us and command as if we are the slaves of their kingdom.

While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

With the advancement in Psychology, it is later scientifically studied and diagnosed that there are balanced mental states and the other is of course, the sick mind.

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

Pathological narcissism can be characterized by (1) entitlement, (2) vindictiveness, (3) unaccountability, and (4) lack of empathy, can we draw parallels to the autocratic leadership style, characterized by (1) unilateral power, (2) suppression of dissent, (3) lawlessness, and (4) exploitation of the masses? This was a question being studied by Benjamin Jurney of Columbia University (2018).

This was then qualified by Mahesh Kumar of Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology: Narcissistic leaders often express prideful and self-aggrandizing styles of leadership behavior; whether such leadership is related to authoritarian leadership. Because narcissistic leaders are excessively concerned with themselves, the control of power, and the neglect of others, they would use authoritarian methods to stabilize their own power in order to control subordinates or dominate the management of the organization, requiring employees to submit without reservation.

So where do we place those people who proclaims that they are followers of Christ when in fact they are the ones oppressing people under their supervision?

“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Romans 8:9).” There it is as plain as can be! There— from the Bible—is God’s definition of a Christian! If one does not have, possess, and follow the Holy Spirit of God, he is not a Bible-defined Christian no matter what he says, how he acts, or what he teaches (Church of God International,2001).

Marrying the psychological aspects and the biblical definition, there must be a strong effort of an individual to know and understand his or her inner person. We could not just allow ourselves to claim that we are Christians yet we are oppressing people. We could not claim that we are servants when in fact we want others to serve US.

If you’re a leader, don’t just settle the question of IF you’ll serve others. Figure out HOW you will, and then go do it. By being a servant leader, you’ll have the joy of seeing positive outcomes and great growth in your people. It will be worth the effort (Maxwell, 2015).

The cgi.org continues: We should never be false or defeated Christians. Even if everyone around you seems hypocritical—or even if no one else around you is a Christian—you need to be a real Christian. That is our calling. You should be a Christian because God created you to contain Him, to be one with Him, and to express Him.

Then, if what you contain in your heart are bad intentions, envy, hatred, anger and inferiority, you are probably containing SOMETHING ELSE rather than God!