LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Characteristic traits of Jesus as a leader
CLED 700
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries
By
Henry Edwin Shikuku
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Characteristic traits of Jesus as a leader
Here are six ways Jesus is different from the leaders of today, and what those differences teach
us.
1. Jesus always speaks the truth.
Remember when Jesus calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34)? Ouch.
Harsh words. The Pharisees had great religious influence — wouldn’t it have been a better
strategy to tone it down a bit? But Jesus speaks the truth without fear of repercussions. He’s
concerned with sharing his message, not gaining political support.
Nor is Jesus using hard-hitting truths as a way to rile up anger from people already on his
side. He’s not going for the “gotcha” moment or the “truth bomb.” Whether or not it’s to his
advantage, and even if it means he’ll lose supporters, he speaks the truth. Because the truth —
undiluted — is what sets us free.
2. Jesus asks for more and offers more.
We all like easy, and people who seek power often base their campaigns around making
things easier for us. “Vote for me: Your concerns will be addressed and your problems solved!”
Even if we know in our hearts that it can’t be quite that simple, easy can be an attractive offer.
But while Jesus says that his yoke is easy and his burden light (Matthew 11:30), his plan has
a steep joining fee. He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take
up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
“Take up your cross” would be a horrible campaign slogan. No one would go for it. But
Jesus is playing the long game; he’s playing for eternity. The reward is great though the journey
may be rough. But he reminds us it’s worth it: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole
world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Luke 9:25). Jesus offers us an eternity full of joy
with him, but not in exchange for a vote or a certain percentage of our hearts. He wants more
than that — he wants our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength. May our commitment to
Jesus be far greater than our commitment to earthly leaders, even when following him is
difficult.
3. Jesus values us more.
Why is Jesus willing to tell us to deny ourselves and follow him? Because he loves us, and
that’s what it will take to have a relationship with him. Unlike a political candidate, Jesus
doesn’t need our support; he wants our company. He wants to enjoy life with us starting here
on Earth and continuing into eternity. This is not an offer our earthly leaders can match.
Jesus values us so much that he paid our debt of sin with his death. Paul tells us that, “For
the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame …” (Hebrews 12:2). The joy of
fellowship with us was greater to him than the pain of the cross. And he doesn’t stop there!
He’s still seeking us, still calling us. He can’t be stopped, because his love for us is relentless. In
the election season, we can remember Jesus’ great love for humanity and let that guide and
direct our interactions with each other.
4. Jesus values all of us.
We’ve probably all experienced the type of leader that seeks to surround themselves with
influential people, hoping (not unwisely) that some of that influence will rub off on them. If
you’re looking to have an influence on Earth, hanging out with the smart, the beautiful, and the
rich is a good strategy.
But it’s not how Jesus operates. He not only spends time with people the world rejects but
also goes looking for them. He seeks out the ostracized, poor, sick, weak, and people deemed
“worthless” — these are the folks Jesus wants to spend time with.
The story of Zacchaeus is a beautiful example of this (Luke 19). Zacchaeus is a despised tax
collector working for the Roman government, a cheater, and a sinner. Because he’s not tall
enough to see over the crowds, Zacchaeus had to climb a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. If
anyone else noticed Zacchaeus at all, they would have expected Jesus to walk on by.
But Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name. He sees Zacchaeus in the tree and says that he wants to
hang out with him. Zacchaeus’ life changes from that moment — he repents of his sin and
promises to share his wealth. That’s the power of being valued by Jesus.
5. Jesus is motivated by compassion.
Our leaders can create amazing change when they allow compassion to motivate them to
action. Most of us can understand what it’s like to be compelled to act by compassion: We see
people hurting, and we want to help.
But Jesus is the compassion champion. He lets compassion mess up his plans, frustrate his
followers, and throw his work-life balance out of whack.
We see this clearly right after John the Baptist’s death. Jesus withdraws to a remote area to
be alone (Matthew 14:13). So often surrounded by crowds, Jesus wanted to be alone after the
death of someone important to him. But the crowds of people heard about where he was
going, and rather than giving him some space, they followed him and pressed in around him,
eager to have their own needs filled.
When we’re already tired or sad, the last thing we want is to be confronted by other
people’s demands, and we often react harshly. But Jesus looked out at the crowds and “had
compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). He set his own needs aside to
minister to others, not because he had too, but because his compassion made him want to.
6. Jesus forgives.
Sadly, forgiveness is not always advantageous to our leaders. Think of debate stages where
we see candidates reminded of every time they made a mistake, misspoke, or cast an
unpopular vote. One candidate brings up their opponent’s mistake and vice versa, and it seems
whoever memorized the longer list of sins will win the day. Mistakes are used to condemn and
destroy.
We need to hold our leaders accountable, but true repentance should be met with true
forgiveness. That kind of forgiveness sets us free to be the people God created us to be.
In the book of Matthew, we see Peter trying to be generous by asking Jesus if he should
forgive someone “up to seven times” (Matthew 18:21). Jesus shocks him by replying that he
shouldn’t forgive seven times, but “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Basically, however
much we think we should forgive, we should forgive more.
Jesus doesn’t forgive to “be nice” or because it’s the socially acceptable thing to do, he
forgives to set people free. He doesn’t want anything blocking people from living in life in all its
fullness (John 10:10).
