The need of the people of the world today is more than just having food to eat, clothes to wear and house to live in. The greatest need of our world today is leadership. Our world needs leaders who meet the physical, spiritual, economic and political needs of the people. Many leaders today don’t have the capacity to actually meet these needs. As a matter of fact, the only leader who have embodied all these characteristics was Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus for example led physically. He was never at any point seen absconding from His leadership assignment. In Luke 22:27 (TPT), He said to His disciples “The leaders who are served are the most important in your eyes, but in the kingdom, it is the servants who lead. Am I not here with you as one who serves you?” So, from here, we see that Jesus was actually physically present with His disciples. He was not leading them from afar, He was present among them per time till His departure.

 

Jesus also led spiritually and so we can describe Him as a spiritual leader. In Matthew 6:5-8, we saw how He taught His disciples the principles of prayer. It says:

 

 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Hallowed be your name…”

 

If you also jump to Matthew 26:40-45, Jesus actually demonstrated what it means to pray in the company of some of His disciples; Peter, James and John. The Bible says:

 

“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

 

So, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, and He also did demonstrate to them how to pray as well. This qualified Jesus to be a spiritual leader. As much as He was with His disciples physically, He also led them spiritually.

 

Apart from this, Jesus also catered for the economic welfare of His followers. Jesus and Peter got to a place where they needed to pay tax and then He got it sorted out for Himself and Peter. In Matthew 17:24-27, the Bible says:

 

“When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” ²⁶ Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

 

Jesus didn’t pay for Himself and then ask Peter to sort out Himself, He actually did pay for him as well. We were also told in another account how Jesus wouldn’t allow a mammoth crowd who had followed Him go back to their various homes without being fed first. We saw how He multiplied five loaves of bread and two fishes to feed over 5000 men, besides women and children.

 

“When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Matthew 14:13-21

 

Now, although Jesus didn’t hold any political office, He however did provide an insight into what political leadership should look like. In Matthew 22:15-22, the Bible says:

 

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ¹⁶ And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the tax money.” So, they brought Him a denarius. ²⁰ And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

 

What Then is the Future of Leadership?

 

The future of leadership is captured in the ability of a leader to be able to reach out to his followers or team in all these areas that have been mentioned, just as Jesus did, endeavoring that no area or aspect is left uncatered for. Jesus was able to do it and no doubt, you can as well as a leader that you are. A leader must always be present to lead physically and so, he or she must be seen leading from the front. The leader must also be able to meet to some degree, the spiritual needs of his followers or team. Humans are spiritual entities as well, and there is need for this aspect of their being to be well catered for. More than the physical and spiritual needs, a leader must be able to meet the basic economic needs of his or her people as Jesus did and also be able to politically guide them.

 

I believe you have learnt something on today’s episode of Leaderview.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!