Introduction
The desire for authentic leadership exposes contemporary communities to servant leadership. That is why the servant leadership topic dominates many management studies and research worldwide. Business people, for example, study servant leadership as a potential arsenal for attracting and retaining talents for competitive advantages. Social settings also perceive servant leadership as the decisive way of promoting social cohesion and harmony. Such necessitates investigating the fundamental tenets of servant leadership from reliable sources like the bible, where Jesus provides the best example of a servant leader. Therefore, the present work examines the relationship between servant leadership’s principle of servitude and Christ’s teaching in the Gospel of John 13: 1-7 in a bid to shade more light on the matter. The discussion thus applies the periscopes of John 13 to realize its purpose. The general social-cultural texture analysis is also utilized to appraise the connection between servant leadership’s principle of servitude and Christ’s teaching in the selected gospel, together with their applicability in contemporary societies.
Worldwide Leadership Search
Leadership plays a substantially vital role in a community’s success. From Adam to the present-day man (man as a species name), humans’ struggles to realize better leadership are immense. All forms of administration through history, for example, imply the human’s desire to realize better administration. Communism, socialism, democracy, humanism, dictatorship, deism, imperialism, colonialism, and communal living are all forms of leadership applied by humans worldwide. However, all these forms fail significantly to deliver utopia to the populations. People believe that a world without power struggles and other leadership-related ills is possible. That is because God’s nature, present in all humans, exhibits an experience with authentic leadership and harmony that people enjoyed in Eden. Warren (2021) says that understanding the relationship between heaven and earth is critical in appreciating humans’ desire for order, which individuals throughout history seek. The world is a colony of heaven, and, naturally, the human spirit desires to experience what it once experienced in heaven. That is why the search for true leadership is natural among humans.
Servant Leadership in the Periscopes in the Gospels of John 13:1-7
The Gospel of John provides servitude as the fundamental principle of servant leadership. The seven verses contain a parable with deep insight and meaning for persons intending to become real servant leaders. The doggerels prescribe a Christ-like behavior key to inform the actual development of servant leadership among all humans. John 13: 1-7 starts with Christ already in Bethlehem, the point where He is to be persecuted and rendered to His challengers by one of His twelve leadership trainees, disciples. Jesus is in the company of all His disciples during the evening meal. He then picks a basin with water and a towel, removes His outer clothes, and starts washing His disciples’ feet. Jesus teaches the disciples the principles of servitude and love, which are crucial for servant leadership. Jesus tells Simon Peter that he will comprehend His action with time, in verse 7. The Gospel of Mathew 20: 26, 28 further provides Christ’s prescriptions for true servant leadership, complementing His activities in John 13. Jesus tells His disciples that whoever desires greatness must purpose to serve others.
Servitude is often defined as slavery or bondage by the English dictionary. However, the principle is what the Gospel prescribes for true servant leadership. Christ’s move to wash His disciples’ feet is beyond mere love. The concept depicted by Jesus in John 13: 1-7 reiterates the essence of serving and choosing to be the least. Jesus washes and wipes His disciples’ feet, including those of Judas, who He already knows will betray Him the next minute. Therefore, the periscopes of John 13: 1-7 show leadership as serving others. Such is the same concept informing servant leadership, making the Gospel of John 13: 1-7 coincide significantly with the concept of servant leadership. Alvinius (2017) argues that a servant leader leads by counting the others first. The parable in the selected gospel reiterates the same concept, making the two ideas coincide.
Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of John 13: 1-7
Biblical concepts may seem impractical at times when compared to the practical world. That is why socio-rhetorical analytical approaches such as that of Robbins are essential in demystifying the applicability of the kingdom ideologies to the world of the living (Sean, 2019). The present work utilizes Robbins’ social-cultural texture to appraise the periscopes in John 13: 1-7 as part of the guiding principles for existent servant leadership. The social-cultural texture slant investigates writings’ social and cultural forms to determine a text’s significance to a society based on the manuscript’s view of the world and social and cultural values. The socio-rhetorical methodology further investigates a text’s attitude and dispositions towards a society to either reject or support the dominant cultural system in the community (Mae & Andrea, 2019). Applying the methodology to the selected verses’ periscopes thus offers an excellent platform to show the overwhelming link between the scripture and servant leadership. The approach also shows how humans can utilize Christ’s teachings on servant leadership to polish the leadership style for better effects.
Utopia is a critical subject under the social-cultural texture facet of the socio-rhetorical interpretation domain. The topic refers to the ideal social settings anticipated by all humans. Paradise is a world with genuine leadership, where social ranks do not exist (Gomola, 2018). Such is the place desired by human spirits, thus the reason for the long-time search for better leadership. The creation account in Genesis provides Eden as the place where God placed the first male and female. Eden’s meaning is God’s presence, where the Lord served as the leader of humanity (Hitchcock, 2018). Under God’s leadership, Israelites had an authentic steward, genuine love for one another, and cherished serving talents for shared happiness. Adam and Eve also lived a harmonious life in Eden, serving God as the leaders of God’s creation. Such means that every human being experienced utopia through Adam and Eve as foreparents. It is that servitude, genuine love, peace, and order that honest servant leadership promises to bring, which is supported by the teachings of the Gospel of John 13: 1-7.
Conclusion
In conclusion, servant leadership and scriptures exhibit significant connection as observed through the periscopes of John 13: 1-7. The two realms esteem servitude as the fundamental aspect of authentic leadership. Servant leadership embraces indiscriminate service to all people, including those that seem not to qualify for the services. The Gospel of John 13: 1-7 further shows Jesus, the Master, and Rabbi, washing his disciples’ feet and wiping them clean. Christ does that to all His disciples, including Judas, who possibly never deserves the service. Jesus goes down beyond a housemaid by choosing to wash the followers’ feet during a meal. The master does that to teach his disciples the principle of servitude, which implies humility and genuine service. The Gospel of John 13: 1-7 provides service to others as the prime canon of servant leadership. Applying Robbins’ socio-rhetorical technique proves the periscopes in John 13: 1-7 as dominant subcultural elements for the constructive social values hunted by all societies through the servant leadership facet.
References
Alvinius, A. (2017). Contemporary leadership challenges. Rijeka.
Gomola, A. (2018). Conceptual blending in early Christian discourse: a cognitive linguistic analysis of pastoral metaphors in patristic literature. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Hitchcock, R. (2018). Hitchcock’s bible names dictionary: Definitions of ancient Hebrew names mentioned in biblical lore. LULU COM.
Mae, E.C. & Andrea, S. (2019). Evangelical theologies of liberation and justice. IVP Academic.
Sean, A.A. (2019). Scholastic Culture in the Hellenistic and Roman Eras : Greek, Latin, and Jewish. De Gruyter.
Warren, W.F. (2021). Paradise found. Beyond Books Hub.