Issue #180, May 4, 2016
The humility of John the Baptist didn’t mean that he was quiet! Instead, he was able to boldly confront wrong. It didn’t matter if he was talking to kings, religious leaders, soldiers or farmers. He spoke the truth with power and confronted wrong. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:7-10). These are pretty strong words! John had obviously not read the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People!” What allowed him to confront so boldly? And what can servant leaders learn from John about bold confrontation?
Boldness in confrontation comes from having nothing to hide.
John called the crowds to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” This was a bold call for the listeners to repent and live a different kind of life. John could do this because he had nothing to hide. He had lived a life of personal integrity; he could now call others to change. Leaders who carry even small amounts of guilt or unconfessed sin cannot boldly call others to change. Even if others don’t know about their sin, their own conscience reminds them of their hypocrisy, and their strength to confront is weakened. Servant leaders understand that bold confrontation requires personal integrity.
Boldness in confrontation comes from having nothing to fear.
John was able to confront boldly because he was not afraid of his audience. He called them a “brood of vipers”! Later he also confronted King Herod for a sinful relationship. That confrontation would cost John his life. If John was fearful about his own safety and comfort he would not have been able to confront in this way. But he was not afraid of people so was able to speak the truth boldly. Many leaders are afraid to speak the truth because they are afraid of the response of others. They worry about how the message will be received. Servant leaders carefully consider the impact of their words on their audience. But they are not controlled by fear of the response. This lack of fear should not be confused with lack of wisdom. Saying whatever comes to mind is not a sign of a servant leader! Bold confrontation does not give leaders permission to speak rudely or without respect. Neither does it encourage speech that is hateful or full of contempt for the audience. If the confrontation of a leader is spoken with anger or pride the confrontation is not like John’s. Servant leaders use wisdom but understand that bold confrontation requires freedom from fear.
Boldness in confrontation comes from having nothing to gain.
If John’s goal was to attract more followers, he used the wrong message! In fact, his message seemed designed to reduce the number of those who followed him! He said, “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” implying that these people could be replaced. John did not allow the potential results to keep him from speaking the truth. Bold confrontation requires no conflict of interest in results. Leaders who seek only results usually see poor results. This does not imply that results are not significant. But servant leaders determine to speak the truth no matter what it costs. Their motive is not the best results but love for the people they serve. This love compels them to speak “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) no matter if they will gain or lose. Servant leaders understand that bold confrontation requires no self interest in the results.
Lead with humility, but when needed, boldly confront like John the Baptist.
For further reflection and discussion:
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do I do at bold confrontation? What evidence of this have I seen in my leadership in the past month? What could I have done differently?
- Do I have the personal integrity that it takes to boldly call others to change? If not, what is God inviting me to change?
- Are there areas in my life that I fear the response of others so much that I am afraid to speak the truth? Do I find myself asking these questions: What will they say? What will they think? What will they do? If so, what does this say about my heart?
- Have any of my confrontations been motived primarily by my desire to gain? (This could be financial gain, increasing the number of followers, increasing my own status or position, etc.)
- Reflect on the difference between bold confrontation and speaking without respect for the audience. What is the distinction? Which do I tend to do most often?