Mark 6 Lesson

LEADERSHIP

Somebody once said:

• “In the absence of genuine leadership, people will listen to whoever steps up to the microphone.”  

Whoever said that was certainly not talking about Jesus! 

Jesus was a genuine leader, and in Mark Chapter 6, we get a look into the characteristics that made Him so effective.

Today’s lesson will be divided into three parts: 

1. Understanding the needs and wants of the people that you are leading,
2. Being selfless,
3. Loving the people that you are leading.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS AND WANTS OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE LEADING

Have you ever heard the expression:

• “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care?”

It is a wise saying and one that we all can learn from.

There are fifteen words in that expression.

It speaks to evangelism and the importance of getting to know and loving our neighbors .  

If we are going to help people find Jesus, we have to know them, and they have to know us.

This means giving our time and letting people into our lives.

When we take the time to get to know our neighbors, we will find one thing that they have in common.

All of them are going through some form of adversity and could use some encouragement.  

Of course, we cannot help them if we do not take the time to get to know them and understand their struggles.

As you read through this chapter, notice how when Jesus was traveling with His twelve apostles, He continued to teach them.   

That is what great leaders do.

Great leaders understand the needs of the people that they are leading, just like Jesus understood the needs of His Apostles.

For example, in the following scripture, we read how Jesus knew that His Apostles were exhausted and needed to rest:

• “The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.  And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)” – Mark 6:30-31.

BEING SELFLESS

The Bible teaches us that we are to spend our time on earth doing two things:

1. Glorifying God,
2. Serving others.

Jesus said:

• “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Mathew 20:26-28.

Throughout His life, up until His dying breath, it was clear what Jesus’ priorities were:

1. He came to do the will of His Father,
2. He came to save the world from sin.

And although we can never be anything like Jesus, He wants us to try.  The character is in the trying. 

There is a saying:

• “If you chase perfection, you just might catch excellence.”

And even though we will never be perfect, striving to be perfect helps us get the most out of the talents we have been blessed with.

And this glorifies God.

Serving others is a recurring theme in the Bible.

Simply put, it is what we as Christians are supposed to do!

We can read about the importance of serving others in the following three verses:

1. “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” -Acts 20:35,
2. “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” - 1 Peter 4:10,
3. “Through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Galatians 5:13-14.

Jesus was selfless.

He put the wants and needs of those He was leading ahead of His own. 

That is what great leaders do.

There is no greater example of that than the crucifixion. 

• “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24.

LOVING THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE LEADING

In professional sports:

1. There are good teams,
2. There are great teams,
3. And there are “once in a lifetime” teams. 

The teams that are once in a lifetime, or the “best of the best” have one thing in common:

They love each other. 

When we think about Jesus and the sacrifices that He made for us, His love for us becomes obvious.

If we ask ourselves, “Why would somebody endure such a violent death voluntarily?

The answer is obvious.

Because that is how much Jesus loves us!

And love is the most important characteristic of a great leader.

People can tell if their leader cares about them.  And when they do, they get the most out of those that they are leading.

When people know that their leader genuinely wants to see them succeed and develop, they tend to be happier and more productive.

When it comes to Jesus, He demonstrated His love for us repeatedly throughout the Bible.

But the most powerful example of the love that Jesus has for us sinners are the words that He spoke on the cross just before dying.

Luke wrote about this in the following scripture:

• “When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:33-34.

CONCLUSION

The world needs great leaders!

Why?

Because in the absence of true leadership, people will listen to whoever steps up to the microphone. 

There is no greater leader than Jesus. 

Through His actions and His teachings, we see all the great leadership characteristics that Jesus displayed, including these three:

1. Jesus understood the needs and wants of the people that He was leading,
2. Jesus was selfless,
3. Jesus loved the people that He was leading.

These are the qualities that we are to strive for ourselves.

• “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” - Hebrews 13:7.