Undercover Boss
By Grant Gaines
Have you ever seen the TV show “Undercover Boss” on CBS? The plot behind the show is interesting. “Undercover Boss” takes the CEO or President of a large company and disguises them as a newly hired entry-level worker. Having no idea that the boss of the entire company is working right next to them and that several hidden cameras are watching their every move, the audience, and the boss, gets to see how the employees really spend their workdays.
Sure, you may have some juicy drama such as the employees “cutting corners” or gossiping about the company’s management right in front of the boss, but by far the best part of the show is watching the boss struggle to do the most mundane tasks. It’s so unnatural for these guys and gals to do any service-oriented task that they often get scolded or, in some cases, even fired by their power hungry “bosses” by the end of the show!
The reason these highly talented undercover bosses fail at these entry-level tasks is because leaders aren’t supposed to do the “dirty” work – that’s for others to do…or at least that’s what our culture says. But did you know the Bible paints a different picture of leadership? In fact, well before the first episode of “Undercover Boss” came on U.S. airwaves in 2010, the Bible had its own little episode of “Undercover Boss” in John 13 where God shows His followers what true leadership looks like. Let’s take a look.
John 13 is the beginning of a five chapter stretch in which the author, John, dedicated to reporting the details of the Last Supper. And just as any good TV show or book would do, John gives us the background as he opens up the chapter – “…Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father…” (John 13:1, NIV). Six times prior to John 13:1 we read of Jesus saying, “My hour has not yet come” indicating that His time to go to the cross and become the, “…atoning sacrifice for…the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2, NIV) had not yet arrived. But as can be seen in the first verse of John 13, that was all about to change. It’s “go” time. This is what Jesus was born for (Isaiah 53).
With that in mind, I’m sure I’m not making too large of a stretch here when I say that Jesus’s thoughts were probably pretty preoccupied at that moment. Could you imagine what your mental state would be like if you were mere hours away from being betrayed by a beloved friend, wrongfully tortured, and sentenced to a grueling death?
But the plot gets even thicker as we learn that, “Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything…” (John 13:3, NLT). Now, if all authority in heaven and earth was given to you, what would be the first thing you would do? Find a way to get out of dying on the cross? Introduce ol’ Judas (who Jesus knew would betray Him – John 13:2) to a legion the mighty angelic warriors that were at your disposal?
Certainly there are a lot of things we could and would do with that power, particularly given the stressful time that was quickly approaching, but do you want to know what the first thing Jesus did with all of that power as His time was rapidly ticking away? “…He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him” (John 13:4-5, NIV).
Jesus did what? He served others? And not just any form of service – Jesus undertook the lowest act of service in the first century, washing another’s feet. This job was to be delegated to the lowest servant of a household, and yet after receiving all power and authority, Jesus served.
You see, Jesus understood what many of us fail to realize – true leadership is not displayed by exercising authority, it is displayed through service. Biblically speaking, the word “leader” should really be viewed as a synonym for “servant”, and Jesus understood that.
Is that how you’re leading your family, job, or Bible study group? Do those around you see you lovingly operating in a servant position? They should because after washing the disciples’ feet Jesus commanded, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15, NIV).
So whether you’re looking for opportunities to lead or are already in a position of leadership, remember this, “…Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others…” (Mark 10:43-45, NLT).
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
