“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” (Mark 10:42-44, NASB)
The golf world is abuzz over Tiger Woods’ reemergence in this year’s Florida swing. During the Valspar Championship, one of the announcers said, “I think the entire city of Tampa is out here following Tiger today.” It is great for golf to have its most popular player back in action. In addition to his recent play, I was very impressed with a story that came out by ESPN from the Honda Classic about his interactions with a playing partner, Sam Burns, in the final round.
Burns, a 21-year-old rookie playing on a sponsor’s exemption and paired with Tiger in just his 14th round on the Tour, had great things to say about his interactions with Woods. Burns said, “We had a blast. He was super nice. Very encouraging. I think we’re all happy to see him back playing golf. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s something that I’ll always be glad that happened and will always be able to tell stories.”
Not only will he have stories to tell, but he will forever remember how one of the greatest players of all time treated him and will hopefully apply a similar graciousness to others throughout his career. Woods could have easily used his fame to intimidate this young man, but instead he went out of his way to talk to him often and calm his nerves. This had an obvious impact on Burns, as he went on to beat Woods by two shots and finish inside the Top 10, which earned him an automatic exemption into the next Tour event.
Tiger has not been known historically for relaxing the nerves of his playing competitors, so it is great to see him recognize the positive influence he can have on another. That’s how we should all use our influence; this is what great leaders do. It is a characteristic that Jesus modeled and taught to his followers. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead his popularity had grown immense, and it was time to go to Jerusalem for Passover week. “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So, the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (John 12:18-19, NIV). So they began plotting a way to kill Jesus and Lazarus.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples how to lead in the kingdom of God, but as it is with many of us, his teachings did not stick right away. From their journey to Jerusalem, we find a discussion among the disciples about who would get the greatest positions of authority in Jesus’ new kingdom. They didn’t realize what that would require of them or that the kingdom about which he frequently spoke is of a different realm than what they knew; they remained completely unaware that their leader was on his way to die for them when he spoke the words in today’s opening verse.
Jesus was always preparing his disciples to lead in a way that would impact others. He taught and led them by example of service and self-sacrifice, a counterintuitive concept that people were unaccustomed to seeing in a leader. Jesus forever turned the way of leadership upside-down by teaching how to lead out of love rather than self-preservation. Here is a characteristic that should remain the mark of a Jesus follower today and a requirement of partnering with him in his work.
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Josh Nelson
March 19, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.