Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
So, am I a leader or a follower? It depends on the context. For example, at various stages of my life, I’ve been a leader as a teacher, as a father, and as a church elder. But in many other contexts, I’m a follower. At times, at third level, some of my students knew more than I did in some areas. My children are grown up now, but even when they were young, they were sometimes surprisingly wise. And in church, if someone took on responsibility in some area, I tried to be supportive and not become a “backseat driver”. And where I have little or no expertise, for example, in the medical world, I’m a follower.
But even as a leader, I think it’s important to be humble and willing to learn from others.
All this can be illustrated by seemingly contradictory passages in the New Testament. To list the verses, I’ll use the World English Bible (WEB), which is copyright free but not widely used. You can look up the verses in your preferred translation at Bible Gateway.
Here Jesus asks us to focus on God in spiritual matters and not on earthly leaders.
Matt 23:8-11
8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 9 Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11
Interestingly, at the beginning of this very chapter, Jesus asks people to follow the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Why? Were they not his enemies? Well, the average person didn’t have access to the resources available to us today. Even if they managed to get hold of a personal copy of Scripture, they might not have been able to read it or understand it. The scribes and Pharisees had a level of expertise. That doesn’t mean that they always interpreted the law correctly, but it’s still likely that much of what they taught aligned to the Scripture. But here Jesus advised against putting them on a pedestal and to recognize that many were hypocrites and a bad example to follow.
Matt 23:1-3
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. 3 All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
Here are some other verses that emphasize that we can learn ourselves and teach one another rather than over-depend on experts:
Rom 15:14
14 I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others.
Colossians 3:16
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Here, the writer quotes an Old Testament prophecy on what shape the church will take in the New Testament era:
Heb 8:10 (Jer 31:33)
“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
I John 3:27
“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.”
At the same time, the New Testament church did have leaders.
Eph 4:11-13
11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Heb 13:17
“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”
Some see these texts as contradictions written by different factions of the church at different times. But, I like to think of it all like I think of university. It’s my responsibility to learn, but I will benefit from the expertise and experience of lecturers, those organizing lab and practical work and those taking tutorials. As a student, I believe that I should support those in authority, but at the same time, I shouldn’t be passive. I should take responsibility for my own learning. And in university, I learnt much from my peers, and hopefully some of them learnt from me.
It’s the same in church. I won’t always agree with the content of a sermon or the advice of a pastor, but I like to be broadly supportive. But ultimately, I follow Jesus. So, in that respect, I’m more of a follower than a leader.
Hibernia Gospel 