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“Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” Matthew 20:26-27
Matthew 20:25–28 is one of those passages that quietly rewires how you think about leadership. Jesus is talking to his disciples after a bit of awkward jockeying for position. James and John (through their mom, no less) have basically asked for the top spots of honour in the kingdom. The other disciples are ticked, not because they’re humble, but because they wanted those spots too.
So Jesus calls them together and says:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
That short conversation completely reshapes what leadership is and who it’s for.
The first thing Jesus does is contrast “the rulers of the Gentiles” with his own people. In other words, he points to how leadership usually works in the world: people “lord it over” others and “exercise authority” from the top down, as if leadership is about power, perks, and being in charge.
Then he says, “It shall not be so among you.” That line is massive. He is not just giving advice to pastors and elders. He is speaking to all his disciples. If you belong to Jesus, you are called to relate to power and influence differently.
That means leadership in the kingdom is not limited to:
- People on a church org chart
- Those with a mic, a title, or an office
- “Natural leaders” with big personalities
In Jesus’ eyes, leadership is about how you use whatever influence you already have. You might be a nurse, a mechanic, a stay‑at‑home parent, a student, a manager, or retired. You still have people around you watching how you live, listening to how you speak, and feeling the effects of your choices. That is leadership.
Jesus does not lower the bar for greatness; he totally flips it. “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant… and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.”
That is jarring language. Servants and slaves in that culture were the ones everyone overlooked. They did the dirty work. They weren’t in the spotlight; they were in the background, making life possible for others. Jesus says, “That’s the model.”
So in the kingdom of God, leadership looks like:
- Taking initiative to meet needs no one else sees
- Doing quiet, unglamorous things that help others thrive
- Using your energy, skills, and resources to lift up people around you
You lead when you show up early to set up chairs and stay late to stack them. You lead when you notice the lonely person during coffee time at church and choose to engage them instead of just talking to your friends. You lead when you own your mistakes at work instead of blaming your team. You lead when you listen carefully to your kids instead of brushing them off.
None of that needs a title, but all of it is leadership.
Inside the church, this passage calls every Jesus follower to see ministry as their responsibility, not just the job of “the leaders.”
Leading in the church may look like:
- Volunteering in a ministry, not just filling a slot, but caring about the people you serve
- Being the first to forgive, apologize, and pursue unity when there’s tension
- Informally discipling younger believers through consistent encouragement, prayer, and example
The question is not, “Do I have a position?” but “Where can I serve?” When you show up ready to serve, you are already practicing the kind of leadership Jesus celebrates.
This same passage shapes how Jesus followers live in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. Jesus did not turn off his servant heart when he left the synagogue. His whole life was shaped by this posture of “not to be served but to serve.”
Outside the church, servant leadership might look like:
- Being known at work as the person who helps others succeed, not just protect your own image
- Treating difficult coworkers or customers with patience and dignity
- Using your professional skills to bless others—mentoring, coaching, sharing knowledge
- Being a steady, calm presence in your home or on your street when things are stressful
When other people use authority to push down, Jesus followers are called to use influence to lift up. That’s leadership.
The last line is the engine for all of this: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is not just an example; he is the Savior who gives his life to free people from sin and selfishness.
You and those you shepherd will not drift into this kind of leadership by personality or temperament. It flows out of the gospel:
- Knowing you’ve been served in the deepest way at the cross frees you from needing to prove yourself.
- Knowing your identity is secure in Christ frees you from using people to feel important.
- Knowing Jesus gave his life for you moves you to gladly give your time, energy, and comfort for others.
So yes, ALL followers of Jesus are absolutely called to leadership, both in and outside the church. But in Jesus’ kingdom, leadership does not start with being over people; it starts with being under people in humble, joyful service, following the One who laid down his life as a ransom for many.