Amidst all the finger-pointing from all His critics, Jesus relished the moment to teach to a captivated audience of 5,000. The people listened intently as Jesus spoke, lapping up His words of wisdom. But He knew the crowd couldn’t last much longer without receiving some physical nourishment.
So, when Jesus’ disciples brought to His attention the need for the people to eat, Jesus relished the moment to teach again.
"Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, [Jesus] took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets" (Matthew 14:19-20).
"Because this is the only miracle that’s repeated in all four Gospels, you know that what happened here was of great importance," says Ray Pritchard, pastor and co-author of The Leadership Lessons of Jesus. "This one incident must have made a huge impact on the early church. . . . You have Jesus, the leader, grabbing the teachable moment with the materials on hand. Feeding the 5,000 was a great miracle, but it also demonstrated Jesus’ great leadership."
SEIZING THE MOMENT
While we are all called to be followers of Christ, we are also called to lead in some capacity. Whether it be teaching your kids about Jesus, modeling a Christ-like attitude in your workplace, guiding a major corporation, teaching a Bible study, pastoring a church, or sharing your faith with a family member, we are called to lead. Our following Christ should ultimately result in the opportunity to lead others to Him as we go.
Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach those around Him about the love of God and His plan for their lives. Every word spoken by Jesus had purpose and design behind it—to reveal the truth.
The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 was not meant to become a story that simply left us in awe at God’s amazing power; rather, it was meant to be a teaching tool for the people of the day and for us 2,000 years later.
"The disciples are dubious," Pritchard says. "Despite having seen Jesus work a number of miracles, it never occurred to them that Jesus could meet this need. Or maybe they didn’t think it was important enough . . . But Jesus not only teaches them about God, He also teaches us about leadership. There is order, there is procedure, there is discipline. Even though Jesus had the ability to perform these miracles, He also taught the disciples that He still needed their cooperation and participation throughout the process."
STAYING ON TASK
As we read the stories recorded about Jesus’ life in the Bible, never do we find Him searching and groping for what to do next. He knew what His purpose on earth was.
"My greatest struggle in leadership is staying on task," Pritchard says. "It is tough for me to stay on task. I get distracted. For me, a list works best, telling me what all I need to do that week. It’s so simple and basic, but it’s a huge help to me.
"I’ve come to understand my focus as the pastor of this church. There are five areas that I feel are my greatest responsibility—and if somebody asks me to do something that doesn’t fit into those categories, I just say ‘no.’ I’ve learned it’s better to say ‘no’ to something good so I can say ‘yes’ to something better.
"Jesus was a great leader because He knew who He was, why He had come, and what His mission was."
Sent to be a Savior to the world, Jesus was tangible evidence of God’s love for us. He also brought an all-important message: God alone can meet our needs.
When Jesus fed the 5,000, He conveyed that message with such subtle force. While He did not beat people over the head with this message, it was not necessary. The hungry crowd crammed the message down their own throats and into their empty stomachs.
"Even though Jesus did an amazing amount of different things, He could say to the heavenly Father, ‘I finished the work You sent Me to do,’" Pritchard says. "In understanding the Gospel and the task God has for us, nothing is more important than realizing who we are, what our gifts are, and what we are supposed to do with them.
"Jesus knew why He was on earth—and great leaders keep their eyes on the goal."
REMAINING AFRESH
No matter what position we have in leadership, it is easy for us to tire of the task at hand. If we are not careful to remain fresh—both spiritually and physically—we are destined for burnout.
"After [Jesus] had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone" (Matthew 14:23).
Following this great miracle and teaching experience, Jesus found it necessary to get away by Himself and talk to God. Being diligent to find rest wasn’t just something Jesus talked about, it was something He modeled for everyone around Him to see.
"I think there are a lot of leaders out there who are lonely, discouraged, and who are confused—lonely because it truly is lonely at the top," Pritchard says. "No matter where you are in an organization, it’s lonely when you have to make a decision that’s directly going to affect the lives of people. I think what is greatly needed is attention within the organization so we set up intentional support mechanisms for our leaders and teachers.
"I have seen too many leaders in the local church crash and burn because nobody noticed. When people are that burned out, they are difficult to bring back. We must set up accountability before things come to a crisis stage."
Jesus disciplined Himself to take a break and spend time alone with God whenever He began to feel a drain on His life. When laying down a framework for our lives, God thought taking time to spend with Him was so important that He included it in the Ten Commandments. By placing accountability in our lives as leaders, the potential to burn out will fade in the light of encouragement we receive from fellow believers.
IMPROVING OUR LEADERSHIP
No matter how strong a leader we become, we can always improve. Jesus constantly sought His Father for direction, and we should follow His lead as we seek to become better leaders.
"There are a few things we can do to help our leadership," Pritchard says. "First, we need to ask God to help us. I’m amazed at how we forget to do this many times. We need to admit our need in all sincerity to God and ask Him to make us a better leader.
"Second, we should go back to the Bible. I know the Bible isn’t primarily a lesson on leadership, but we can study how Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Or we can study Nehemiah, David, Joshua, Paul. All those men were great leaders, and we can apply to our lives the principles they used to lead their people.
"Lastly, there is a wealth of great Christian resources on leadership today. There is no excuse for not improving as a leader if we want to. It’s good for us to look around at people who are in the same field as we are and find out what makes them successful."
While we may not all be powerful leaders according to the world’s standards, we should seek to be the best leader we can and make a positive impact for God’s kingdom within the sphere of influence God gives us.
"Anybody can be a leader—you don’t need a title, a budget, a staff," Pritchard says. "If you are willing to do what Jesus did, if you are willing to serve others and get your hands dirty, you will be a leader and God will give you plenty of opportunities. If you can find people who have a true servant’s heart, you will find true leaders. It’s not what you say or do up front, but it’s the attitude to serve others in whatever way is necessary."
—Jason Chatraw
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