Jesus, being God, would obviously be perfect in all His attributes. That means He was a perfect leader. Let me briefly look at three qualities He had that all good leaders need.
1. Compassion. In John 8:2-11, the Jewish “leaders” brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. The Jewish law said she was to be stoned; the Roman law didn’t allow that. What was Jesus to do? In His wisdom, He let His opponents decide: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (v. 7). They all left, of course. Jesus had compassion on the sinner. But he also told her, “Go and sin no more.” Compassion doesn’t mean toleration of sin. Indeed, just the opposite.
2. Never compromise what is right. In Mark 10:17-22, a rich young man came to Jesus, asking Him, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus “loved him” (v. 21) and eventually told him that he must sell all his goods, give to the poor, and follow Him. The young man couldn’t do that. The price was too high. Jesus didn’t try to deliberate with the young man, didn’t compromise the truth. He let him go. People must do what is right, and a good leader will never back down on that.
3. Sometimes forceful words are necessary. In Matthew 23, Jesus sternly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees: “hypocrites” He called them several times, and also “Serpents, brood of vipers!” (v. 33). Jesus didn’t use this kind of language often, but He did use it because in this case it was necessary. He needed to warn the people what these wicked religious “leaders” really were. A snake is a snake, not a butterfly or puppy dog, and people need to know who the snakes are.
Leaders should be compassionate, but never tolerate sin. They should stand for what is right and not compromise it. And they need to expose hypocrisy and wickedness among those who would deceive others. Great lessons on leadership from the Son of God.