Metamorphic Leadership

UV 1555/10000 Metamorphic Leadership

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 4 v 19


Other leaders ask their followers to follow them and keep them as followers all their lives while Jesus alone said, " Come and follow me and I will make you" a positive influence for the world, a leader, a leader of leaders, a leader-maker, a holistic leader, a truthful leader, a trained and discipled leader and a leader into eternity. He makes them too. It is metamorphic leadership. Instead of working for the mundane and perishable fishes and loaves of office or vocation, Jesus shifts the paradigm of leadership and management to a higher plane. This is the difference between a mere vocation and a calling. A calling meets an inner urge and an outward vision or a call of God. Instead, of working for men, we work for God. God will pay our wages or provide what is needed for our sustenance. Our perspective is transformed from the temporal and transient to the eternal. When Jesus said, “Follow me..”, He did not mean only physically but to follow what He says, to follow what He did and to follow Him where He went. The tracks of other leaders end at their grave but Jesus left a trail into eternity to follow Him into the Father’s mansion. The disciples journey begins and ends in Jesus. He does not lead us anywhere for He Himself is the commencer and finisher, He Himself is the way, truth and the life.

Jesus shows us that we need not feed fish to people or even teach them fishing but we only need to induce in them a belief that they too can fish or that they too can be saved and lead others to salvation. Jesus recognized that the greatest need of mankind is not food but salvation. The function of spiritual leadership is to point people to their salvation. A fisherman relies on his nets to catch fish while a leader depends on his network. He spreads his positive influence in the lives of people like salt spreads its flavour through an entire meal- invisibly, silently and without much fanfare. A fisherman always has his focus on the day’s catch while a leader has his focus on the impact of his whole life. Fishermen work in teams and never solo. Similarly, leaders need to work in teams. Fishermen are never contented catching a single fish or a few but they aim for abundance. Similarly, leaders aim to impact an abundant number of people.

The fisherman image can be extended to various professions in the contemporary world. If one is a physician, he now becomes through the call of Jesus a divine physician. If he is a police officer, he now becomes a watchman for the Lord. If a teacher, a teacher for the Lord. If a home-maker, a home-maker and keeper for the Lord. There is another implication of the fisherman metaphor: people without faith and hope in a living and loving God, without hope of living forever in fellowship with the Creator and Redeemer are like fish lying on the shore struggling for oxygen even though there is plenty of oxygen in the atmosphere. It is a strange case of “ oxygen, oxygen everywhere but not a molecule to breathe.” The oxygen needs to be mixed in water for the fish to breathe through its gills. Similarly, hope is plentifully mixed or dissolved in the Word. People need to be taught to swim in this living water instead of struggling and being desperate on dry land. Just as a fisherman needs to have certain natural strength, stamina, skills and discipline in order to fish successfully, in order to lead successfully, we need to use our natural gifts, skills and talents diligently, consistently and perseveringly. In the post-resurrection phase, Jesus again calls the disciples back from what seemed like a failed fishing trip by leading them into outstanding success and enabling them to catch abundant fish. So much so, the nets were filled to tearing point. Now their real calling as apostles to the world began. Similarly, outstanding success by divine enablement in our professions is not a confirmation that our calling is over or fulfilled but it might just be the beginning of a higher and deeper work of the Lord in and through our lives.

Prateep V Philip