Mark 10:42-45
“Jesus called them to himself, and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
This passage comes after James and John, two of Jesus' disciples, have asked for positions of ultimate authority and glory in his coming kingdom. Jesus uses this request to teach all the disciples about a fundamentally different way of understanding leadership and power, contrasting it with the dominant Roman model.
How might our own cultural understandings of success and leadership unconsciously shape what we expect from spiritual authority?