Do you know the needs of your teammates? (156-1)

Servant leaders understand their team’s needs, define what is required to meet those needs and give of themselves to meet those needs. Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

In ancient religions it was commonplace for people to offer sacrifices to the gods, but the notion that a god would make a sacrifice for humanity was beyond imagination. Even God’s chosen people the Jews had no concept of such a Savior even though their scriptures predicted it. The Jews were looking for a powerful Messiah who would deliver them from the bondage of Rome. They were so focused on the stereotypical powerful leader that they totally overlooked Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah in chapter 53.

During Jesus’ life on earth He made a few statements that show he understood what it means to be a servant leader. One example is found in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ example of servant leadership is beyond anything we have seen before or since: “…at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

More than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah predicts Jesus’ life, death and resurrection with amazing accuracy and detail. Isaiah 53 describes what in Christianity has been called “the exchanged life.” Jesus took our sin, pain, and failures so we could have His righteousness, healing, and victory. Jesus saw our hopeless situation, understood the need for a Savior and then became a suffering servant leader to take up for our infirmities and carry our sorrows. What do we have to believe about God and ourselves in order to fully embrace a servant-leader mindset?