Jesus told his diciples that leaders should not excercise authority over people. Instead, leaders should realize that serving others is the only way. Whoever wants to be great must lower himself. You can read this in Matthew 20-25-28.

Of course, leadership takes on many forms in this world and is found in all sectors and walks of life. Human society is a hierarchical society. If you look at our closest releatives, chimps and gorillas, (DNA-99 and 98 % respectively), you will notice they have the same hierarchical set-up.

From the time we are children to adulthood we will encounter and be familiar with leadership. When you are small you are led and shown what to do by your parent and when you start school you are led and taught by your teacher. After school some of us attend university/college where the tutor is your example. And in the work place regardless of the job, you are normally under your manager.

Probably from time immemorial humans have lived in tribes which always required a chief. In medieval society, the nation’s leader was mainly a King sometimes, a Queen, and in the modern democratic age, most leaders are elected to office.

There have always been it seems, two forms of rule,- democractic and dictatorial. Anicent Greece was the fouding of modern Western democracy according to experts. Dictatorships were also around in the form of ancient Persia. It was a battle between democracy and dictatorship when Greece went head-to-head with Persia. Fortunately, Greece won the conflict and Western Democracy was saved. Just like in WWII when freedom and democracy triumphed over tyranny and dictatorship. Of course, we still have dictatorships and democracies. One could call the conflict in Ukraine a fight for freedom over tyranny.

One side, you have the democratically elected President of Ukraine. A leader not unlike Churchill, who was a charismatic leader and a patriot who leads from the front. Mr Zelensky has the support of most Western nations who just happen to be democracies. However, in reality, Putin’s regime is a classic dictatorship. Russia is an aggressive nation with designs for rebuilding the Russian Empire. Russia attacked Ukraine just like the US invaded Iraq, albeit, for different reasons. Both the US and and now Russia used questionable jusifications for their invasions. Unsurprisingly, Russia is supported by fellow dictatorships in the form of China and Iran.

If you are a Christian and you are in a position of leadership, Jesus should be your example. Jesus led from the front but he was also democratic to the point that he spoke to his disciples. Jesus as God incarnate did often take the lead over his followers. There are many examples of this in his sermons and actions. However, Christ did call meetings with his closest followers – notably the 12 disciples that we are familiar with. He instructed them but he also allowed them to question him and voice their own ideas. Jesus was a servant King who served those he led and served those he came into contact with. So if you are a Christian in a position of power and you profess Christ and yet you do not act like Him (in your treamtment of those under you) then you need to study Christ’s take on leadership. An example would be the opening paragraph of this blog Matt 20: 25 – 28.