Real Authority Doesn’t Need to Yell

One should never confuse humility and insecurity. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less (thanks Clive).

The best leaders are consistently humble but never insecure. Insecure leaders fix their self-worth to the positive praises and constructive criticisms of others which is an unhealthy emotional roller coaster (for you and your people).

Insecure leaders fix their self-worth to positive praises and constructive criticisms of others. It's an unhealthy emotional roller coaster. Click To Tweet

Humble leaders, on the other hand, are confident and sure of themselves but also teachable, gracious and eager to serve.

Secure leaders might care about what others think of them but final say on their dignity and worth comes from God alone.

Secure leaders might care what others think of them but final say on their dignity and worth comes from God alone. Click To Tweet

Secure, humble leaders consistently demonstrate meekness which doesn’t mean weakness, it means strength under control. Powerful but humble.

Meekness doesn’t mean weakness, it means strength under control. Jesus operated in perfect meekness. Click To Tweet

Recall the scene when Jesus raised a little girl from the dead You can read it in Mark 5:35-43.

If Jesus were looking for an audience, he had one. The entire family and many more were gathered. In those days wealthy families hired additional mourners to attend funeral events, giving the impression that the loss had bigger impact. These hired mourners were the ones who ‘laughed at Jesus’ when he suggested the little girl was only sleeping and not dead.

The first thing Jesus did was put everyone out of the room. He took the child’s mother and father into the bedroom where He performed the miracle. He wasn’t seeking congratulations of the crowd or praises of the people. He was looking to serve – in power and humility.

Jesus was never looking to be noticed. He wasn’t seeking congratulations from the crowd or the praises of people. He came to earth as a servant, meek and humble of heart. Click To Tweet

Jesus’ humility kept Him completely focused on the needs of a mom and dad grieving the loss of their daughter. Dismissing the crowd and the public spectacle, He reserved the fullness of His presence for those in need, something every leader should do regularly.

If you ever get invited into the depths of someone’s suffering and say to yourself, “I don’t have time for this” you might want to ask yourself why you are leading at all.

Standing by the little bed, Jesus took one of the girl’s cold hands in His and tenderly said in her Aramaic tongue, “Talitha Koum, little girl, arise.” Jesus was quick and to the point.  His whisper another expression of His meekness – strength under control, powerful but humble.

An insecure leader would have created a lengthy, drawn out show that would have kept the focus on him. An insecure leader would have turned up the volume of his voice to demonstrate his power and authority.  Jesus was quiet, barely whispering, but utterly confident and secure in the Father. Real authority doesn’t need to yell to establish itself.

Insecure leaders turn up the volume of their voice to demonstrate power and authority. But real authority doesn’t need to yell to establish anything. Click To Tweet

Quickened by His word and touch, the dead girl revived, gazed on her Savior and got out of bed. Jesus commanded that the astonished parents refrain from publicizing the miracle – another expression of His meek and humble heart. It was also intended to guard them against the temptation to speak unnecessarily about the miraculous event, and thereby lose the full benefit of the blessing they had received. He was inviting them to humility and meekness too.

When Jesus requested that food be given to the resurrected girl, He revealed how practical He was and how He honoured natural law. In a concrete manner, He subjected His miracle to something less miraculous – food. Jesus was deflecting attention on His supernatural power to a biological need for sustenance. “I have no food for her, but you do. Feed her.” He who created natural law and could live outside of it but in humility, He subjected Himself to it. Leaders should never live above the law.

What does all this have to do with leadership? Here are three principles we can learn and apply.

Meekness matters. Meekness doesn’t mean weakness, it means strength under control. Jesus was always in control of the situation, even when the crowds were laughing at him. Insecure leaders need others to acknowledge their authority. Jesus did not. Make it your goal to demonstrate your authority through quiet, impactful leadership.

Humility helps. Jesus models for us what it means to be entirely focused on the needs of others. Insecure leaders leverage circumstances for their benefit, usually to highlight something of themselves – their skill, gifting, and power. Jesus led for the sake of others – the young girl and her family. Use your power to meet the needs of those around you.

Submit to authority. Authentic leadership means living under authority and natural law. Deflecting the attention from his miracle to the simple need for food shows that Jesus led under authority. Insecure leaders attempt to demonstrate their leadership by operating outside policy, protocol, and law. Jesus was secure enough in His leadership to live under authority.

Jesus’ example of leadership is the most inspiring and informative source from which we can ever learn. The more time you spend reflecting on His life and leadership by prayerfully reading the Gospels, the better you will become at leading others. The surest way to find security as a leader is in relational intimacy with Jesus.