John the Baptist is not the center of attention in the gospels. John’s leadership lasted only a few years and he was killed just as Jesus’ ministry was gaining momentum. But John’s role was so crucial that Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). Jesus calls John the greatest person up to that point in history! Even more surprising, Jesus also predicts that each of us will be greater. In this series we’ll look at why John’s servant leadership made him the greatest leader up to that point in history. First, let’s look at how John the Baptist prepared himself to be a great servant leader.

John practiced self-development.

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (Luke 1:80). This verse provides a small glimpse into John’s early life. He “grew and become strong in spirit.” We know that John was filled with the Spirit of God from birth (Luke 1:15) but John recognized that he was responsible to develop this gift. We know nothing about his formal education or how John received instruction. But, like every leader, he had to take what God provided and develop it. John focused his energy on becoming strong “in spirit.” His attention was on who he was, not what he could do. John prepared to lead by developing his character. Much leadership training focuses on developing skill as leaders and is beneficial. However, John’s example reminds servant leaders to first develop themselves and to focus on their heart and character. Servant leaders know that who they are comes before what they do.

John practiced self-denial.

One of the ways John developed his spirit was to practice self-denial. “…He lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (Luke 1:80b). John prepared to serve by living in the desert! The desert was hot, dry, and uncomfortable. This was an act of denying himself the pleasures of life to nurture the growth of strong character. He chose the challenging place, not the comfortable place. He embraced suffering instead of running from it. Like Moses before him and Jesus and Paul after him, John chose to let the desert shape him. Many leaders like to hang certificates on their walls showing where they studied and earned their degrees. John’s certificate would have simply read “Graduated from the Desert University.” John prepared to lead by denying self and embracing suffering. Of course, servant leaders are not all required to move to the desert. But John’s life teaches us that if we want to be greatly used of God we must make the hard choices of denying our own wishes, learning to embrace suffering and welcoming God’s work in our lives through pain. Servant leaders are shaped by the desert they experience, not the dessert they eat! They prepare to lead by denying themselves.

John practiced self-discipline.

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). John practiced self-discipline in how he dressed and ate. He wasn’t concerned with the latest fashions in clothes and he stayed away from fine foods. How did this prepare him to lead? John knew that he would need inner strength before calling others to repent. He had to practice the painful disciplines of giving up what his body craved before he could call others to give up anything. He recognized that fasting comes before feasting for servant leaders. He knew that how he treated his physical body did reflect his call to leadership. Servant leaders build character with self-discipline.

Many of us would love to be called the greatest leader of all time. But few of us want to pay the price John paid before he led. His example calls us to develop our gifts with a focus on our hearts, and to practice self-denial and self-discipline. Servant leaders first lead themselves before leading others.

For further reflection and discussion:

• What have I done to deliberately develop the gifts God has given me? Has my focus been on strengthening who I am (character) or what I can do (skills)? What steps is God calling me to make to continue to develop my leadership capacity?
• Reflect on the description of John’s growth, “became strong in spirit.” What does this phrase mean? What are specific things that I can do to become stronger in my spirit?
• Does the way I treat my body (eating, exercise, etc.) reflect self-denial or self-indulgence? How does this impact my leadership capacity? What changes should I make in this area?
• John lived in the dessert, choosing a life of self-denial. In what ways have I chosen to deny myself or in what ways have I not chosen this path? How does it impact my leadership? Over time, have I moved towards more self-denial or less? What will result if I continue moving in this direction?
• In what ways have I used my leadership to call others to be disciplined? Has my own life reflected discipline in these areas? How has this strengthened or weakened my leadership?