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The Leadership Lessons of Jesus Christ Essay

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The Leadership Lessons of Jesus Christ

When we talk about Jesus as a leader, we may imply two different forms: Jesus as the only Son of God, God of the universe, or the risen Christ as being one with God; or Jesus as the 1 st century flesh and blood human being, the historical figure. Since the purpose of studying leadership is to improve one's own leadership skills, it makes sense to analyze Jesus' applicable traits, actions, and accomplishments as a good leader—in his historical role—so his leadership skills can be feasibly related to ourselves as human beings. I will attempt to analyze, using modern leadership criteria, how Jesus of Nazareth, the Jew and carpenter's son, was an effective spiritual leader of his time.

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Jesus gave a frank opinion about his purpose when he said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). Cronin adds, “Leaders are people who know who they are and know where they are going. . . . [They] must be self-reliant individuals with great tenacity and stamina” (36). So aside from the common interpretations that Jesus was the Son of God or the Messiah (sent to earth to be king and deliverer of the Jews), Jesus was an intelligent man, who usually knew what to say and when to say it. N.T. Wright writes, “Jesus spoke of himself as a prophet, he behaved as a prophet, and when others referred to him in this way he did not correct them” (33).

Before we can explain how Jesus articulated his vision, we must first examine what his vision was. Wright writes, “Jesus was a first-century Jewish prophet announcing God's kingdom. This was the very center of his mission and message” (33). Most likely, Jesus would say his goal was to do God's will in order to fulfill the prophecies (as predicted in the Old Testament) and save the “lost” (Matt. 18:11, Luke 19:10). Since he was sent to earth as a means for people to get to heaven, his vision was that people could develop

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