Jesus Submitted

 

Jesus Submitted To Someone Higher

John 5:30

"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

When a people are led by a leader, they are led to a destination which is clearly known ahead of time. Moses led the people to the promise Land which was known ahead of time by God. Either the leader clearly knows the destination or he submits to the one who knows. It is supposed that when the people reach the destination, they will be better off. While it is true that the leader must have learned a lot over time and is not a child, the leader must have it at the back of his mind that he must submit to a person(s) or principle(s) inspite his knowledge and experience. Whatever is learned may be insufficient to lead the people over time. The leader will face dynamic situations and a people whose needs are changing. Changes will come that will make the previous knowledge may not be insufficient to carry the people. This will make the leader to have to have someone (or something) who is dynamic in knowledge and insight of the changes going on among his people to depend on.

Woe on the leader who depends on someone who does not have the interest of the people. So in this case, there can be three types of leaders in this. The first type is the kind of leaders who are blind. This kind of blindness is the situation where the leader does not know where he is taking the people to, he does not know how to go about it either because he does not have sufficient knowledge and experience or is not having someone (or something) he depends on who knows the way. 

The second type of leaders is one who is knowledgeable but is not dynamic as the changes comes to his people. This kind can be overwhelming by the changes that comes with time. The third type of leaders have gone through training and experience and is well adjusted to handle dynamic changes among the people he leads. This kind of leader is not blind but knows where he is going and is constant as changes comes. Jesus is that kind of leader. Jesus was not and is not a blind leader. He depended on God for the dynamic changes going on.

""I can of mine own self do nothing:.."

Though he learned a lot over time but what he learned was not enough. He depends on God to lead.

"...as I hear, I judge..."

His decision for himself and for the people he leads was not arbitrary. As he hears, he leads. This hearing is a continuous hearing. It is a daily hearing. This leader can not miss it. He is constantly updated. He is not blind. He is dynamic. This does not suggests that all things went well with him but as time passes and changes comes, he made the best decisions and acted wisely. He knew his purpose and at the end, he fulfilled the purpose.

"...my judgment is just; .."

The unjust judge is partial. He takes sides for selfish interest. He is easily emotional. Jesus was just and not emotional. He acted wisely and decided for the best. He made the best of every opportunity. He led and is still leading (by the Holy Spirit) for the best of the led.

"... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

Here, Jesus is unfolding for us who he depended on. Can the leader make public sincerely who he depends on? What was the force behind Jesus' dynamic leadership?

"... the Father which hath sent me."

He submitted to the same Father I recommend to you today. A good leader must know that there is a God who is the King of Kings, who knows it all and with whom nothing is impossible. To submit to this God must be a daily affair. For this to bear the best result, the leader must not be selfish. Selfishness can turn the leader to a failure.

"... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father ..."

The attitude of 'Me, Myself, I and Mine' spells failure in leadership. Jesus overcame this by depending on the Father.

"... the will of the Father which hath sent me."

A good leader who wants to succeed in leadership must submit to someone (or something) higher than him. There is the temptation to assume that the place of leadership is the highest place there is. The pathway to success is to know that there is someone higher and is the highest. God Almighty is He. Submitting to Him is the best a leader can do. This submission must be a daily affair to be effective and bear the best outcome.

In the days of Jesus on Earth, there were leaders who were not there for the love of the people. They had no direction as to where they were going with the people. All they wanted was to show what they knew and to subject the people to all kinds of rules and regulations all in the name of God. They were examples of blind leaders.

Matthew 15:14

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Jesus was not blind because he depended on God continually till the end. A good leader must do likewise.

How did Jesus do it on a practical level?

"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge:.."

Jesus heard the Father daily and regularly. He was a prayerfull person. In prayer, he heard the Father and acted on what the Father said, whatever he did well in line with what he heard. This is what made Jesus successful. Learn from Jesus and succeed.

Pray:

My Father, as You partner with Jesus, help me to succeed by the same principle in Jesus name I pray. Amen!