Leadership

Then the LORD said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!” (Zechariah 11:15-17 ESV). We are back in Zechariah for our reading today. And, we are in one of the most difficult passages in the entire book. I find the message to be very contemporary. In our culture we have seen the lowering of the bar for leadership sink to incredible lows. We would do well to listen to the prophet in reference to our direction. Zechariah offers us a parable about terrible leaders. In John 10, Jesus describes a good shepherd as kind, courageous, and self-sacrificing. But Zechariah writes about shepherds who will kick you when you’re down and who laugh as they eat your last bit of food. They are hideous and self-centered, immoral and unlikeable. It is not unthinkable to ask why God seems to endorse such leaders. Remember this is a parable. If you have leadership responsibility, this passage is not your permission slip for cruel or insensitive treatment of others. In fact, it is just the opposite. Zechariah’s message is that, as part of his righteous judgment, God will put his wayward people under such awful leaders that their lives will be bitter and hard. They will feel what empty hopelessness is in a world without God’s goodness. Let me be practical. Here are some characteristics of good leadership.  The first characteristic is humility. Humility willingly acknowledges its own need; it is open to be helped, and it is open to being taught, and it does not resent good advice or counsel.  The second characteristic is mutual helpfulness. Competition in relationship is always destructive.  The third characteristic is strength. The power that we need does not come from within ourselves. It is the strength of God's might with which we must be strengthened.  The fourth characteristic is selflessness. No leader can live for himself alone. We ought to maintain strength not for ourselves alone but for the benefit of God's people.  The final characteristic is surrender to the will of God. It is always amazing to me how often I hear prospective leaders claim the ability to “make” something greater or better. The path to that accomplishment is only through the strength and will of God. Be that kind of leader. Be that kind of shepherd. Look for that kind of leader to follow. Look for that kind of leader to support.