Confrontational Leadership

Confrontational Leadership
John 2:13-22
by Steve May

Not long ago a friend told me one of his co-workers had been promoted above him. "You wouldn’t believe this guy," he said. "Power has gone to his head and he’s becoming impossible." "How’s that?" I asked. "Well," my friend said, "when I’m late--even if it’s only 10 minutes--he says something about it. And he’s always on my back about meeting projections. He used to be great to work with, but now no one wants to be around him."

Unfortunately, my friend’s attitude reflects the attitude of many people. They don’t understand that sometimes leaders have to make tough decisions. Sometimes leaders have to say things they don’t like having to say. A leader can’t be "one of the guys". Where others might be willing the let things slide, a leader has to deal with the problem.

In fact, this is the most difficult aspect of being a leader: You no longer have the luxury of turning your head and looking the other direction when a problem comes up. Leaders have to take responsibility for making things right, even when the task is unpleasant. Sometimes this calls for taking stock of a situation and cleaning house. This applies to all leaders--pastors, parents, bosses, coaches, managers, or any other person in a leadership role.

There was a time in Jesus’ ministry when he found himself in the midst of bad situation in desperate need of an overhaul. He couldn’t--and certainly wouldn’t--look in the other direction. Instead, Jesus did something that no one would have expected to do. The saying "Desperate times call for desperate measures" might apply to this story today. This is what happened.

Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. He visited the temple, and didn’t like what he saw. He became angry at the way worshippers were being taken advantage of in the temple. Every Jewish male was required to pay a tax to the Temple for the ongoing practice of Temple sacrifices. The tax equaled about two days pay, but it had to be paid in Galilean currency. When people arrived from all over the world to pay their temple tax, they had to exchange their foreign currency for Galilean currency. The money changers in the temple performed this service--at about a 50% exchange rate. In other words, it now cost three days wages to pay the tax. And if the tax payer didn’t have correct change, they charged even more. Also, there were people selling animals for sacrificial purposes at outlandish prices. Animals used for sacrifice had to be without blemish. If a worshipper brought a lamb or dove from home, it might be rejected by the priest for not being "without blemish." So worshippers were encouraged to purchase an animal for sacrifice there at the temple--just to be safe. It was a religious racket that was taking advantage of sincere people, and it made Jesus furious. So, he made a whip and blazed through the temple area, knocking over tables and driving out the merchants. It was quite a scene.

We’re going to take a close look at this story today. In this event, we see a significant leadership principle at work in Jesus’ life. The principle is: In times of conflict, a leader must lead with his head and not his heart. At first glance it may look like Jesus did just the opposite, but don’t mistake Jesus’ actions for a temper tantrum. Jesus remained level headed throughout this entire ordeal. His actions were drastic, but they were deliberate. He wasn’t controlled by his emotions. He dealt with the problem by listening to his head and not his heart. When we face situations of conflict, we must follow his example. How do you do that? How do you keep your head in the midst of conflict? Today, we’re going to look at three keys to level headed leadership. First of all…

1. Level headed leaders fight God’s battles, not their own.
Level-headed leaders don’t have their own egos wrapped up in their leadership responsibilities. They’re not emotionally attached to their way of thinking; they don’t demand to get their own way. An ego driven leader says, "It’s my way or the highway…To disagree with me is to disagree with God." That is not the attitude Jesus had. True, he was outraged by the injustice he saw, and took some rather drastic action. But Jesus was not politically or financially connected to the temple in anyway. He didn’t chase the moneylenders out of the temple so he could take their place. He didn’t chase them out so he could be elected or get a promotion or receive a bonus. He didn’t chase them out because they had challenged his authority. He did it because he saw something wrong that needed to be made right. He personally had nothing to gain by setting things back on course. In fact, he had much to lose because his actions created many enemies for him that day. But Jesus wasn’t thinking about himself; he was thinking about God, and had concerned himself with the things that concern God. Jesus was committed to building God’s kingdom.

(v. 17) His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me."

Jesus was consumed by the things of God. He chased the money lenders out of the temple not because they were threatening to him, but because they were offensive to God. The question that every leader must ask is, "Am I working to further God’s kingdom or am I working to further myself?"

A former boss used to tell me there is no limit to what I can accomplish if I don’t concern myself with who gets the credit. The problem is that many times we would rather get recognition for a small accomplishment than risk no recognition for a great accomplishment. As a result, we spend our lives building our kingdom instead of God’s.

It is easier for a leader to face conflict if he is willing to make the tough choice to listen to his head, not his heart. He must remind himself that it is not a matter of what he wants, but what God wants. Secondly…

2. Level-headed leaders don’t make empty promises or threats.
(v. 18) The Jews therefore answered and said to him, "What signs do you show to us, seeing that You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

The Jews didn’t exactly get what Jesus was saying, but the point is that Jesus had the authority to back up his words.

There’s nothing worse than a leader who tries to exert authority that he doesn’t have, or a leader who makes promises that he isn’t able to carry out. In fact, broken promises and empty threats are the death sentence for any leader.

During the 1988 campaign George Bush emphatically stated, "Read my lips: No New Taxes!" It was a bold promise that helped get him elected. Unfortunately, it was a promise he couldn’t keep. Less than 2 years after making that promise, he authorized a tax increase. The American people didn’t forget the broken promise: George Bush lost the re-election in 1992.

Parents have to be especially careful about this. Sometimes, out of anger or frustration, parents will make threats they cannot possibly keep. When their anger subsides they capitulate, and the child gets the message that mom and dad don’t keep their word. Later, out of guilt, the parents will make promises they cannot keep. When the promise is broken, the message is reinforced: Mom and Dad can’t do what they say they are going to do. It’s no wonder when the child becomes a teenager that the parents have problems with discipline. Level-headed leaders don’t make empty threats. Third…

3. Level leaders aren't flattered by insincere praise.
(v. 23-25) Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, beholding his signs which he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men…he himself knew what was in man.

Leaders need to remember that people are fickle. One minute you’re the hero, the next minute you’re the zero. Once when a large crowd had gathered to hear Winston Churchill speak, someone said, "Doesn’t it thrill you that all these people have come to hear you speak?" Churchill said, "It’s quite flattering, but I can’t help but keep in mind that the crowd would be twice as large if instead of me giving a speech tonight it was me getting hanged." This was absolutely true. After the political miracles Churchill performed during the second world war, he lost favor with the British people and was voted out of office.

People are fickle. Athletes have to remember this. When they make the big play they get an ovation. When they miss the big play, they get booed by their own fans and traded.

In 1988 the Denver Broncos went to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years--a remarkable accomplishment. Unfortunately for them, they were beaten badly by the San Francisco 49ers. It was the worst loss in Super Bowl history at that time. The city of Denver had planned a post Super Bowl parade for the Broncos, but in light of the humiliating defeat, the parade was canceled. The Broncos were the second best team in all of football, but that wasn’t good enough.

People are fickle. Leaders must remember this. It is said that the worst mistake a celebrity can make is to believe his own press. The worst mistake a leader can make is to believe the insincere flattery that people bestow. It won’t be long before they change their tune.

Jesus realized this. He knew that the crowd that cried "Hosanna" one week would cry "Crucify him" the next. He didn’t listen to the crowd because he knew their opinion would change from week to week. Level leaders don’t listen to the crowd. They don’t listen to their heart. They listen to their head.

Conclusion
Leadership is not easy. There’s more to it than setting a good example and motivating people to do better. Sometimes a leader has to speak out against injustice. Sometime a leader has to make right something that is terribly wrong. These decisions are never popular, but they’re necessary. A leader must be level-headed. He can’t afford to lead with his heart. He must lead with his head.

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