Jesus no doubt captured the attention of people everywhere. Whether the poor, the hurting, the powerful, or the religious, Jesus turned heads, and he had a hard time flying under the radar. Large crowds came to hear him, and he didn’t have a problem packing out his preaching sites (whether in a crowded house or on a hillside with thousands). Though loved by some and hated by others, Jesus had to navigate the lure and the lies that often come with popularity.
Today, fame and popularity are often the secret (or not so secret) ambition of many leaders. And yet, though Jesus attracted the crowds, popularity was never his goal. From his life we learn two very important lessons, but first, let me set the stage.
In Luke 5:12-16, Jesus encountered a man with an advanced case of leprosy. The man said to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus’ response was simple and direct: “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the man was healed.
As a result of this miracle, Jesus’ ministry experienced bigger and faster. Verse 15 says, “the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came…” Simply put, Jesus attracted bigger crowds and faster publicity.
Bigger and faster are usually celebrated in leadership circles. Leaders want bigger crowds, bigger sales, bigger success, and a bigger bottom line. And, with bigger often comes faster: faster publicity, faster notoriety, and faster promotion and exposure.
But bigger and faster rarely come alone. They’re usually accompanied by higher and greater: higher demands and greater needs. When the crowds grew bigger and the news spread faster, a higher demand was placed on Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry. Those demands increased because more people needed what Jesus had to offer (healing). Verse 15 continues, “vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.”
Here’s the bottom line: bigger and faster (growth and publicity) usually come with higher and greater (demands and needs). As a result, even though bigger and faster is fun, the pressure of higher and greater is often unsustainable. It becomes too much for the leader to handle.
Bigger and faster (growth and publicity) usually come with higher and greater (demands and needs). As a result, even though bigger and faster is fun, the pressure of higher and greater is often unsustainable.
Bigger, faster, higher, greater can create a vicious cycle that produces leadership burnout or a complete leadership collapse. So, what should leaders do? Here’s where we learn two important lessons from Jesus: a perspective and a practice.
1. Perspective: See Your Motives Clearly
After Jesus healed the man with leprosy, he gave him clear instructions not to tell anyone what had happened (Luke 5:14). Therein lies our first lesson: Jesus was able to handle bigger crowds and faster publicity because he didn’t seek them. It wasn’t His driving motive.
This is the tension point for many leaders. When something good happens, we want to tell anyone and everyone. We want to celebrate wins and spread the news. And in one sense, we should. It’s good to celebrate what’s happening with our teams and cultivate an environment that honors the hard work that helped make the wins possible. The issue is not celebration or wins. And the issue really isn’t growth or publicity. The issue is motives.
Does God want your church or organization to grow bigger? You could make a case that He does. Does He want the news of your church or organization to spread faster? Perhaps. But those really aren’t the questions we need to answer. The real question is, why do you want this? What’s your underlying motive?
Jesus didn’t seek bigger and faster, and yet, He experienced it. Why? Yes, He was a great teacher. Yes, He was a miracle-worker. But more importantly, His motives were pure. The fact that He could say, “Don’t tell anyone,” is evidence of His true motives.
Bigger and faster are merely an output, but if your input doesn’t include pure motives, the output will become your master. If we want pure motives, we have to see our motives clearly. Only then can we assess them and correct them. What’s the best way to do this? Psalm 139 gives us the answer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (v. 23-24).
What would happen if you began asking God to search your heart? What would be revealed? What motive would be uncovered? If we don’t let God search the why of our hearts, the what will consume us, and possibly destroy us. I’m not suggesting that bigger and faster is wrong, but I am suggesting that our motives can be.
2. Practice: Seek God Regularly
Even though Jesus told the man healed of leprosy not to tell anyone, the news spread faster and the crowds grew bigger. As a result, the demands on Jesus accelerated exponentially as the needs became greater.
How did Jesus handle this pressure? He employed a faithful practice that we read about in verse 16: “Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” While His ministry advanced, Jesus withdrew.
Let me say that again: while His ministry advanced, Jesus withdrew. Time with His Heavenly Father was His first priority. Pulling back sustained Him as He moved forward.
While His ministry advanced, Jesus withdrew. Time with His Heavenly Father was His first priority. Pulling back sustained Him as He moved forward.
When leadership demands increase, it’s very easy to sacrifice the important for the urgent. It’s easy to sacrifice time with God on the altar of meeting more needs and solving more problems. Higher demands and greater needs rob us of our most important responsibility: seeking the Lord. And yet, time with God is where we find the strength, wisdom, and clarity to wisely deal with the demands and the needs.
Don’t make popularity your goal. Jesus handled popularity (whether he was loved or hated) with the right perspective and the right practice. We must do the same. Protect your motives and seek the Lord.
