“And the soldiers led Jesus away inside the courtyard of the palace (i.e., the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the rest of their unit. And they draped him in a purple robe, and weaving together a garland of thorns, they placed it on him. And they began applauding him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat on him, and knelt down as if to honor him as king. And when they were done mocking him, they stripped the purple robe from him and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.” (Mark 15:16-20)

In Mark 15, the kind of king the soldiers mock—one who flaunts power—is not the kind of king that Jesus is. Instead, his kingship corresponds to his very submission to suffering at their hands. This was a suffering to which his heavenly rank did not require him to submit; he submitted not out of obligation but on our behalf. Jesus models a different kind of authority than his mockers expected, an authority reliant entirely on God, and not from human rank.

This model fits the Lord’s mission throughout Mark’s Gospel. Jesus makes the lowly feel welcome, meeting their needs. But just as we would resent one child who bullies another, Jesus views harshly those who exploit or look down on the rest of his people. He challenges the wealthy priests, the proud leaders who run the temple, those who consider themselves intellectually or morally superior, those who revel in receiving respectful greetings, and so forth. Jesus ultimately pronounces judgment on the temple and its establishment, but with a wounded, broken heart.

Just as in the Hebrew Bible God laments the appointed shepherds who abuse his people (Ezekiel 34), Jesus confronts the religious and social leaders, who are the antithesis of what he is about. Their thinking, however, fits the way the world views status. Jesus’s heart breaks when even his own disciples, who are supposed to carry on the mission after him, don’t yet understand humility/servanthood.

Jesus wants to make sure, before he leaves, that his disciples won’t share his enemies’ valuations of power. He models living simply. He explains how the least are the greatest, and uses himself as an example (Mark 10:42-45). In the Gospel’s climax, he goes to the cross, submitting to persecution and death at others’ hands. Finally, after his resurrection, his disciples get it. Power over others is not something to seek! Rather, we must make ourselves servants, and depend on God’s power to use us.

How might our Lord’s model challenge those of us who are Christian leaders today? Jesus invites us to lead by looking out for the interests of the sheep, not our own interests.

Cf. Ezek 34:2, 11 (NET): “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them–to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? … I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.”

Mark 12:38-39 (NRSV): “As he taught, [Jesus] said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!”

Mark 6:34 (NRSV): “As [Jesus] went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd”