There was a British movie made during the World War II era called ‘The 49th Parallel’. It was a fictional account of a small band of Nazi sailors who were trying to cross Canada on foot after their submarine ran aground in the Hudson Bay. It was a clever depiction of the contrasting world views of the Nazis and the Canadians.
In one scene the Nazis, dressed in civilian clothes, came across a Hutterite community. When the Nazi commander demanded to speak with their leader he was shocked to find him eating with the others, indistinguishable from the crowd. As the story progresses we see that the Hutterite leader leads as a servant to the community, following Jesus’ example and leads with more effectiveness than his Nazi counterpart, who leads by using his rank to force submission from his men.
Have you ever wondered why Judas had to identify Jesus to the temple guards with a kiss? Was it because Jesus blended in with his disciples and was indistinguishable among them? All of Jesus’ teachings about being a servant, being the least and the last, were practiced by Jesus himself. He never ‘lorded over’ his disciples, instead he lifted them up, telling them they will do greater things than he did. (John 14:12). Because he was sure of who he was he never needed to coerce anyone. He led from the bottom.
