FOLLOW THE LEADERtoo slow a pace some of his followers will either lose interest, or surpass
him. As the noted humorist, Will Rogers, wisely said: “Even if you are
on the right tracks, you’ll get run over if you just sit there!”^8 A leader cannot
afford to stay in one place too long – he must always be pressing ahead...
pioneering new territory...pushing the perimeters...preaching new principles...
promoting new paradigms. He must be “outside the box” in his thinking and
his leading.
Jesus was the perfect example of a wise and sensitive Shepherd Who
gave balanced out-front leadership to His disciples. When it came time to
lead during the most dark and difficult time in His life, Jesus did not fall
back. It was time for Him to go to Jerusalem and die. He knew that this
was the culmination of His life. This final visit to Jerusalem was the
focal point of His earthly leadership. It had been sovereignly ordained
and divinely planned before the creation of the world (Matt. 25:34; II
Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2; Rev. 13:8). This was to be the point where eternity
would intersect time. Where sin and salvation would meet. Where human
wrath and divine love would collide. And it would all happen on a cross!
Just before this final visit, Jesus had been down in the lush green valley
where the city of Jericho was located. To go to Jerusalem from there was
literally an uphill climb – physically, spiritually and emotionally!
Even when He was leading the way to His own death, Jesus was still out
front. The Bible records that
“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus
leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while
those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).That kind of bold leadership through the valley of the shadow of death
caused some of His disciples to be astonished – and others of them to
be afraid. Nevertheless, Jesus continued to lead on – up to Mount Zion,
and further upward to Mount Calvary! That’s the boldest leadership the
world has even seen!
The noted Prussian thinker, Friedrich Nietzsche, was an eternity away
from Christ in terms of where he sought to lead people. However, when
it came to the loneliness and difficulty of leading uphill, Nietzsche made
a wise observation: “Life always gets harder toward the summit. The cold gets