As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is the ultimate example of spiritual leadership. These days, I am learning that studying leadership formally may provide helpful principles to us as we lead small groups, work teams, and families. This blog post will consider Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s servant in Luke 7:1-10 to appreciate how He led.[1] We will consider the context of the passage, the framework of honor, patronage, wealth, and kinship at the time, and then go to the text, viewing Jesus’ leadership in light of leadership models. Our final aim is to glean insight for us today from Jesus’ servant and transformational leadership example from first-century Galilee.
Author and Audience
In the gospel’s opening verses, Luke stated his intent to pen an eyewitness account so that one could “know the certainty” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 1:4) of all that had been taught. We may see Luke’s intent in his account of the healing of the centurion’s servant more clearly when we view it next to Matthew’s version. In Luke 7, the centurion sent two sets of representatives to Jesus: first, Jewish elders (v. 3) and later, his friends (v.6), a “double delegation” (Gagnon, 1994, p. 122) that, interestingly enough, was not found in Matthew’s version. Why is this? Gagnon (1994) commented that Luke wrote in a time when the Jews might create trouble for the emerging Christian sect, so he highlighted this friendship between the elders and a Gentile believer in Christ. Gagnon (1994) also argued that the double delegation gave Luke space to draw out more nuance based on the prevailing cultural concepts of honor, patronage, and wealth, a thought that will be expanded upon below.
First-Century Honor, Patronage, Wealth, and Kinship
As in many societies today, first-century Galileans held to a sense of honor that was defined by the mix of cultures present in their time. Greco-Roman culture valued courage, especially as demonstrated in military service (deSilva, 2000). The Jews honored knowledge of the Torah, valuing the wisdom and reverence it brought. Under the Roman empire, Jews lived conflicted lives, upholding traditional honor toward their religion and ethnicity, while also desiring to benefit from being assimilated into Greco-Roman culture (deSilva, 2000).
Patronage as practiced during this time involved a patron conferring goods and services upon his client, who would do everything possible to build up the benefactor’s reputation before others (deSilva, 2000). The grace that this benefactor bestowed on others occupied the main stage, enhancing his honor, and the patron-client relationship was characterized by a social maneuvering of give and take (DeSilva, 2000). In this way the benefactor gave nobly to others and the beneficiary would respond with respect and gratitude for the gift, which appeared to be selflessly given (deSilva, 2000). In this social maneuvering, both parties thus demonstrated virtuous conduct before others (deSilva, 2000).
With patronage and honor also came wealth. Faulhaber (2008) observed that in the first-century having virtue often meant using wealth to provide a stable life for one’s dependents. The wealthy possessed greater honor to the extent that they willingly secured their dependents’ lives (Faulhaber, 2008), something that we can undoubtedly understand today.
Finally, first-century kinship could have a broad meaning. It often extended beyond the immediate family. A sense of kinship could have been applied to those of the same ethnicity or bound together in economic production, social cooperation, or another kind of communal solidarity (deSilva, 2000).
With this brief sketch of some cultural norms of the day, let’s now return to Luke 7:1-10.
To the Text
As Jesus completed his teaching, He entered Capernaum (Luke 7:1). Hearing of this, the centurion leveraged his social network, sending Jewish elders to ask Him to come and heal his servant (v. 3). The Jewish elder delegation extolled the honor of this non-Jewish military officer and “pleaded earnestly” with Jesus, saying that “his man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 7:4-5). Jesus demonstrated his willingness to meet this stranger’s needs, starting out with the elders to go to the centurion’s home (v. 6a).
But the centurion had second thoughts, deciding it inappropriate for Jesus to come, deeming himself not even worthy of the honor of coming to meet Him. The sending of a second delegation, this time of his friends, highlighted the centurion’s humility (Gagnon, 1994). The centurion enjoyed great honor through his military service and his patronage of the Jews, using his wealth to build their synagogue. Now, however, the “beloved local patron” (Mohrmann, 2021, p.283) overturned traditional reciprocity, acknowledged his lower status, and honored Jesus as the new patron, sending this word to Him:
“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 7:6b-8
The centurion declared that he would now treat Jesus with the respect and gratitude due a greater benefactor. He honored Jesus before the elders, the crowd, and all of Capernaum (Mohrmann, 2021). The centurion humbly awaited Jesus’ next move in this social dance (deSilva, 2000).
Jesus understood perfectly the social cues. Amazed at the officer’s humility, He addressed the crowd and said: “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 7:9). In that one moment, Jesus achieved multiple goals: He taught everyone listening a new concept of faith in Him, gave the now beloved client what he had sought, and healed the servant without venturing into the centurion’s home. Talk about multi-tasking!
Jesus as Servant and Transformational Leader
In talking with the centurion’s delegates, Jesus clearly understood what motivated him in terms of honor, patronage, and wealth. He saw that the centurion cared about his servant as part of his kinship network. What can we say about Jesus’ leadership? First, He prioritized the centurion’s need, immediately starting out toward his home upon hearing his request. Jesus willingly offered to support the officer to care for someone in his own extended family. Jesus’ actions undoubtedly brought emotional relief to the officer. In addition, Jesus certainly empowered him, as now the centurion had Jesus to rely on going forward. What Jesus did—putting a follower’s needs first, helping him to succeed, providing emotional healing, and empowering him—all reflect what is described as servant leadership today (Liden et al., 2014, & van Dierendonck, 2011, as cited in Northouse, 2022).
But as we consider how Jesus interacted with everyone else in this moment, we see even more. First, we notice that a large crowd followed Him. They had a glimpse of His ideal character, listened to some of His teaching, and had likely heard of His miraculous healings (New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 5:15-16, 25-26). For sure, Jesus inspired the disciples and others in the crowd. Moreover, with one utterance in verse nine, “I have not found such great faith even in Israel,” Jesus challenged His listeners’ understanding of faith in God. In this moment Jesus not only healed the servant, but He also gave everyone listening to Him something to take home and consider for their own lives. How Jesus led—as a charismatic role model, providing inspiration, challenging others intellectually, and showing concern for the individual—reflect what many describe as transformational leadership today (Northouse, 2022).
Final Thoughts
From this blog post I hope that we can appreciate more how Jesus operated in the matrix of honor, patronage, wealth, and kinship in first-century Galilee. Just as Jesus and the centurion communicated well in their cultural context, so too we must converse fluently in our own.
In addition, I thank you for your indulgence as I share some learning from my program in leadership studies. Perhaps a discussion of servant or transformational leadership can provide us practical tools helpful for leading others. Having said that, I firmly believe that Jesus’ leadership transcends any human-developed leadership model. In the end, everyone benefits when we humbly lay our socio-historical context and leadership theory before Him. Consider these words from the Psalmist:
One thing God has spoken,
New International Version Bible, 2011, Ps 62: 11-12
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
As the Son of God, Jesus could also say one thing and two things would be heard. Jesus spoke the words that healed the servant. At the same time, He served the Roman officer’s needs and challenged what the elders and others understood about honor, patronage, and faith. We will never approximate Jesus’ divine ability to lead, but I marvel at His leadership and want to learn more in order to grow. Jesus met the individual needs of everyone who interacted with Him, all at the same time. Each walked away with a lesson to ponder.
Questions to Consider
1. Jesus knew what society honored in His time. Do we see clearly what society honors in our workplaces, families, and communities today? Choose one setting (such as at work, home, or even in church) and consider how you can counter what the culture honors with what God honors in that situation.
2. Describe a time when you felt served by someone, and then consider how you may be able to serve someone else in a similar way.
3. Have you ever encountered a leader who transformed your life? Share your experience with a friend or member of your small group.
4. Can you recall another episode where Jesus demonstrated this “all at once at the same time” leadership? How did He meet all the needs of the various persons in it? Discuss with others in your small group.
5. Luke’s account of this healing seems to differ from what we read in Matthew. Do you read them as different accounts? If not, how do you reconcile the two versions? Discuss with your small group.
References
deSilva, D.A. (2000). Honor, patronage, kinship & purity: Unlocking New Testament culture. IVP Academic.
Faulhaber, J. (2008). A Biblical approach to developing the inner qualities of a leader.
Gagnon, R. A. (1994). Luke’s motives for redaction in the account of the double delegation in Luke 7:1-10. Novum Testamentum, 36(2), 122–145.
Liden, R.C., Panaccio, A., Hu, J., & Meuser, J.D. (2014). Servant leadership: Antecedents, consequences, and contextual moderators. In D.V. Day (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations. Oxford University Press.
Mohrmann, D. C. (2021). Benefaction, gratitude, and reciprocity within the Bible. Anglican Theological Review, 103(3), 271–285. https://doi-org.elibrary.johnsonu.edu/10.1177/00033286211023896
New International Version Bible. (2011). NIV online. https://www.biblestudytools.com/niv/
Northouse, P. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publications.
van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and syntheses. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228-1261.
[1] This blog post is based on a paper I wrote in a leadership studies and theory course as part of an online program at Johnson University, Tennessee, USA. I am grateful to my instructor and cohort mates for their guidance and support.