Jesus as a Christian Leader.

Introduction.
Who is Jesus?
The world has gotten to a point where the above stated question can come across as a rhetoric one. Few people to none can claim ignorance of Jesus and what his existence has meant for the humanity. From the majority of the world's population who venerate his essence (also known as Christians), to those who throw his name around in fits of frustration or anger, Jesus is, at least, something to everyone on the planet.
Unlike other defining moments in history, not much is agreed upon concerning how Jesus lived his life - except that he was baptized by John the Baptist and was later sentenced to death by crucifixion some years later – perhaps, because of the myriad of opinions regarding who he actually was. For the purposes of this paper however, the main subject of commentary will be Jesus as documented in the Bible as this paper seeks to understand Jesus as a Christian leader. To that end, although there are records of Jesus in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, those records will not be applicable to the discussion of Jesus in this paper as the aim is not to see Jesus as a Muslim leader.
In the Bible, it is recorded that Jesus was conceived of by supernatural means. His mother, Mary, became pregnant with Jesus after she was visited by the Spirit of God. Although this caused a bit of friction between her and her then husband-to-be, Joseph, the Spirit of God guided them in their actions and decisions up until Jesus was given birth to in Nazareth.
The Bible also has it that Jesus was of humble beginnings. His father was a carpenter - as was Jesus when he grew up – but even at that, at a young age Jesus displayed wisdom and supernatural ability. When he began his ministry in his thirties, Jesus called followers for himself, continued to preach the word of God to those willing to listen in his society and performed miracles on and for those who needed them.
To really understand Jesus as a leader, though, one must first know the meaning of leadership and how it can be translated to the context of Christianity.
What is a Christian leader?
Perhaps this question is better understood if it was phrased thus, "what is a leader in the context of Christianity?" To answer this, one would have to know what a leader is firstly and then decipher what the definition of leadership means in Christian terms.
A leader is a person who has the power to influence or guide people towards a certain goal. Leaders have the ability to mold or alter the opinions and perceptions of people in order to achieve a specific end. At the crux of the idea of a leader are the ideas of power, influence, and goal orientation. Without power, a leader cannot rework the awareness of a groups of people. A leader should to be an authority figure with enough credibility to command respect and ultimately alter opinions. Take for example a high school setting. The reason why the principal of a given high school is able to influence his subordinates – the teachers and other staff below him – is because of the credibility his office provides him. As a principal, it is probably assumed that you have more experience than the teachers in running a school and know what is best for the students. Thus, your subordinate staff will be willing to listen to you in order to tap into your wealth of experience. Furthermore, a leader should be able to guide his subordinates down a specific path. In other words, leaders should be goal oriented. If the CEO of a firm has no vision for where he wants his company to be at the end of the year, by what standards is the firm's progress going to be judged upon? What would be classified as success or failure? Why should one be considered the CEO of a firm if he does not take the firm anywhere?
What do all these mean in Christian lingo? It should firstly be understood that one of the core tenets of Christianity is for all Christians to make Heaven after death, through faith in God and good works. That said, a Christian leader is a person who has the power to influence people – in this case Christians – to have faith in God and live morally upright lives in order to make Heaven when they die. It now makes sense why Jesus is a Christian leader because his life was dedicated to wielding his power and authority as the son of God to altering the perception of people to have faith in God and live uprightly in order to make Heaven. For the purposes of this paper, the goal of making Heaven via faith and good works will be, hereafter, referred to as the Christian goal.
Jesus as a Christian Leader
All leaders have techniques to their leadership and Jesus was no exception. Steve Jobs married the ideals of the hippy movement and his technological know-how to help the company Apple achieve his goal of being a world changing company. Hitler used propaganda as a means to help Germany and the Aryan race assume its 'rightful' place in the scheme of things. Martin Luther led by the way of motivational speeches, his sacrificial tendencies, and a strong dedication to his passion. But how did Jesus lead? Where did Jesus get his authority as a Christian leader from? How did Jesus manage to alter the perceptions of people in order to get them to want to achieve the Christian goal? Upon examining the Bible, several ideas come to mind.
First and foremost, it should be noted that like every other leader, Jesus had a passion for which he felt strongly about. The way Steve Jobs wanted to change the world with technology, and the way Martin Luther King wanted to end discrimination against the Black race was the same way Jesus wanted to make sure all human beings made it to heaven. Jesus felt strongly for his passion so much so that he was willing to face persecution and die for his cause. Without a cause to feel passionately about, Jesus wouldn't have truly been a leader as a leader is a person who influence people towards a certain goal. Without a passion, there is no goal to influence people towards.
What then was the source of Jesus' power to influence people as a Christian Leader? In other words, where did Jesus find his credibility as a leader? As the Bible documents the life of Jesus, it portrays him as an infinitely wise teacher who performs miracles and also claims to be the son of God. Religion, which happens to be a matter of strong personal conviction, requires more than conventional power or authority in order to get people to truly believe and be utterly convinced in your teachings. In religion, one cannot scare a person into becoming a true Christian, neither can one oppress a person into atheism. What is needed is an appeal to logic which convinces the person why the beliefs of a particular religion are meant to be followed. In the case of Jesus, the Bible records it that he had supernatural ability. Jesus was able to cure the sick, raise the dead, feed multitudes even with minute amounts of food and even walk on water added to the fact that he had a bit to say on philosophical issues with the aid of his parables. These abilities, coupled with his claim to be the son of God elevated Jesus beyond the ordinary. Not everyone could work miracles or be as wise, and since Jesus could, he garnered enough respect for people to want to listen to what he had to say. In other words, it was the platform through which he was able to alter the opinions of people – his credibility.
How did Jesus lead? It is widely agreed that Jesus was a servant-leader. A servant leader is one who puts the needs of his followers while seeking their development and overall happiness. Servant leaders eventually leave their followers better-off than when they first met them and this is essentially what Jesus did. From the miracles Jesus worked to his teachings to his interaction with his twelve disciples, Jesus displayed elements of servant leadership. For example, in his miracles, Jesus often healed someone of an ailment or even death. Given his office as the son of God, Jesus could probably have easily given excuses for not wanting to perform a miracle, but the Bible records it that he never did. In fact he usually went out of his way to work miracles for others. Perhaps nothing exemplifies Jesus' servant leadership as much as the Washing of Feet at the Last Supper. Jesus humbled himself, from the Son of God to the place of a lowly servant by washing the feet of his disciples and imploring of them to do the same to others. Why would Jesus have wanted to have a service oriented style to his leadership? Perhaps Jesus did so because he realized that in order to achieve his goal, he had to connect on a deeper level with his followers. If Jesus had been, for example, and egoistic leader rather than an altruistic one, connecting with his followers on an emotional level would have been impossible. By tapping into their emotions, fulfilling their needs and making them better people, Jesus ensured that he could influence his followers towards the Christian goal. Maybe, Jesus chose this style of leadership as means to solidify his power and also gain more influence over people by increasing his credibility.
Another Jesus led was by example. Jesus gave life to his teachings in all his doings; when he preached forgiveness, the Bible gives an instance of when forgave even at the verge of being arrested; when he preached compassion and love, he showed compassion and love through all the various miracles he performed for the sake of others; and when he preached humility, Jesus was humble even in the midst of prosecution. Perhaps why Jesus did this was because he wanted to lay out a blueprint for what moral uprightness should be like. A standard with which his followers could use to compare their lives with in order to see if they are living uprightly enough to make heaven or not. Leadership by example removes confusion from the followers by giving them a standard with which they can interact with rather than leaving them to deal with abstract ideals. For example, a father may be teaching his son about the importance of respect. The son would most likely have an easier time grasping the concept of respect if he saw it exemplified in his father. On the path to understanding the surest way to success is the footsteps of others.
Conclusion
Perhaps Jesus should go down in history as a transformational leader. Jesus' leadership left his followers with a greater sense of identity, a clearer blueprint of what it takes to be the ultimate Christian, together with greater moral growth and development. With his power as the Son of God, his ability to work miracles and his various other leadership techniques, Jesus was able to push people toward the Christian goal. Perhaps the greatest testament to his efficacy as a leader is the fact that even two thousand years after his life on earth, the beliefs, convictions, and actions of the bulk of the world's population are still deeply rooted in his life and teachings. If Jesus had done things differently, Christianity would probably not be in the place it occupies in the world today.