December 21:
B.C. verse: Matthew 2: 3-6
A.D. verse: Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 5:4; John 10: 11-16
Christmas hymn: “O Worship the King”
Hymn for today: “Father Blessed Father” by Newsboys
Leadership can be a double-edged sword. Ask anyone who has ever been in
a leadership position. Initially, when a person is chosen or emerges to be a
leader, s/he is honored and maybe even a little humbled by the vote of
confidence from others around him/her. However, for many human leaders (not
all), that moment is as good as it ever gets.
The annals of history and literature are full of examples of people who
started out as good, charismatic, popular leaders, only to turn into corrupt,
evil, or immoral tyrants later on. Oedipus, Macbeth, and even Hitler fall into
this category. King Herod, in today’s
reading, qualifies for this classification as well.
Why and how does this happen? Obviously, these guys became leaders because
they possessed character traits and performance records that were admirable and
impressive. So how do these guys move from heroes to zeroes?
While there may be many answers to that question, they all possess the
same basic flaw: Pride. And when all the layers of pride are stripped away, the
root of the problem is clearly and undeniably exposed, and not surprisingly,
the culprit is self. When man chooses to focus on and rely on self, nothing
good ever happens.
For example, when he learned of the birth of a new king, “King Herod
was deeply disturbed” (Matthew 2:3). The news put him on edge because it
suggested competition; he might be out of a job. When he pressed for more
details, Herod’s wise guys told him what the prophet had written: “. . .for a
ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd
for my people Israel” (vs. 6).
Check out the qualities of the
new king. “I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd sacrifices his life
for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He
will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him, and he isn’t
their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. The
hired hand runs away because he is only working for the money and doesn’t
really care about the sheep. I am
the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me. . . . So I
sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other
sheep, too, that are not in my sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will
listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one Shepherd” (John
10:11-16).
Rather than celebrate concerning the new king, Herod panics. His first
and only concern is himself – making sure that he stays on the throne and in power.
The measures he resorts to in order to maintain his position are absolutely
distasteful; Herod sacrifices all the little boys under the age of two in order
to eliminate the threat.
In the passage, the underlined descriptions of the hired hand are
indicative of Herod’s character as a leader. He “runs” (panics) and “abandons”
his people because they are not his first concern. He is only concerned about
himself. Herod’s character and choices are diametrically opposed to the new
king.
Ironically, the new king is classified as a shepherd, which, as we
learned before, was considered to be one of the least respected and desirable
jobs in the ancient world. This suggests the new king’s humility; he is willing
to take the job no one wants. This is in direct opposition to the proud and
selfish King Herod. Likewise, where Herod willfully and cold-heartedly
sacrificed the lives of his people in order to maintain his position on the throne,
the new king sacrifices HIS own life for his people (flock). Lastly, where
Herod’s actions created chaos and division among his people, the new king is
concerned about gathering and uniting his “flock.”
The efforts of Herod (and other rulers like him) were self-motivated so
as to achieve and maintain power and renown. Ironically, the new king achieves
all that and more when he puts others before himself. Humility leads to honor. Compassion
creates community. From meekness comes a master.
As Christ’s example shows, the secret to being a good leader is to
never think of ourselves as one. Following the Good Shepherd’s example of nurturing
a servant’s heart (in which the sheep -or others- come first) seems to be the
key. Leadership naturally emerges when others see that type of behavior in
action. They want to exemplify that it too, so they watch and try to mimic the
person they admire.
Likewise, if good leaders desire to stay that way, they must discipline
themselves to do the same – watch and mimic the Shepherd they admire, never
allowing self to block the vision. If
they do, “when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of
never-ending glory and honor” (I Peter 5:4). There is no great honor than that.
Daily Challenge: Give someone elderly a gift today. . .a visit, play
music for him/her, read to him/her.
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