Lesson 5 - Leader

Scripture - Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Learning Point

So we meet Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The text is very simple, the narrative very matter of fact but the story is world changing. Joseph is a leader in this story but not in the way we tend to understand modern leadership but rather a model for Jesus in servant leadership. Joseph did what he was called to do. He led Mary to Bethlehem so Jesus could be born where it was foretold he would be born. As an adoptive father, he gave Jesus the lineage to the House of David. He was present when Jesus was born and he gave Jesus and Mary a home, Jesus a trade craft to earn a living and, as the story unfolds, he led the holy family to safety in Egypt and back again.

The last time we encounter Joseph in the story of Jesus was when Jesus stayed behind in the temple after the rest of the family had left to return to Nazareth. We recognize Joseph was a servant leader because he, Joseph, presented Jesus in the temple as an infant and again and again as was expected in Judaism of this era.

As fathers we assume we are leaders. To be a leader is an integral part of job. We are responsible for nurturing and protecting our children and to provide them with shelter and all other basic necessities. There is more to our servant leadership, however, because we are not just about physical issues but emotional and spiritual matter as well.