The best leaders know their identity. Read John 1:1, 14.

What Jesus taught and what Jesus did are tied inseparably to who Jesus is, and the same is true for all leaders. John deliberately opened his Gospel with an allusion to the opening words of the creation account in Genesis 1. John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. Although Jesus took upon Himself full humanity and lived as a man, He never ceased to be the eternal God who has always existed, creator of the universe, the binding force that holds creation together.

Effective leaders have compassion for their team even during the administration of justice for unacceptable attitudes or behavior. Read Luke 13:31-35.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, some religious leaders warned Him that He would not be safe in Jerusalem and told Him He should not go there. Jesus already knew He would be killed while He was in Jerusalem and He knew that was part of God’s plan to redeem people to Himself. Jesus also knew that Jerusalem would be harshly judged by God for their actions in the past, for what they were about to do, and for their unbelief. The prophecies about Jerusalem were fulfilled in 70 AD when the Roman General Titus leveled Jerusalem. Jesus expressed deep sorrow as He thought about the future suffering of those living in Jerusalem.

Humility is one of the Bible’s most often mentioned traits of a God-honoring leader. Read Luke 3:15-17.

John the Baptist was a powerful leader and public speaker. Luke 3:3-9 says John had crowds of people coming out of the cities of Judah to listen to him speak. Because of his straight talk, many who listened to John responded to his message of repentance and were baptized. Many people followed John and actually became his disciples. John was so popular that many in the crowds actually thought he may be the promised Messiah. When asked if he were the Messiah, John demonstrated tremendous humility when he said he was not worthy to untie the sandals of the true Messiah. What an awesome combination of traits John possessed as a leader – burning passion and absolute humility.

Servant leadership may involve serving even when the end result of our service may not be known. Read Luke 1:26-38.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a Jewish girl from an economically depressed family living in a remote insignificant town in the Roman Empire. She is thought to have been in her early teens when the angel Gabriel appeared to her with the information that she would be the mother of the promised Messiah. Mary’s leadership may be best seen in her humble acceptance of God’s favor and her unwavering belief in God’s promises. When Gabriel informed Mary of her assignment she first sought clarification and simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

A hostile audience is a great test of a leader’s communication skills. Read Matthew 21:23-27 and Matthew 21:33-46.

Those serving in leadership of Judaism despised Jesus. The strict rules of the priesthood came down hard on anyone claiming to be a representative of God let alone the Son of God. Even though Jesus did not proclaim He was the Son of God in His public messages, neither did He deny it and to the religious leaders the lack of denial was equal to proclaiming it. Lest I leave the impression all their motives were pure, the religious leaders also did not want to have anyone upset their power grip on the people and their profitable financial activities. These leaders were angry with Jesus and would have had him killed but they were afraid of violating the law of the Roman occupying force and they were afraid of the Jewish people who thought Jesus was a prophet.