Leaders Eat Last: A Gospel Vision of Leadership
Jeremiah 2:4–13; Luke 14:1, 7–14
Community Reformed Church – 8/31/2025
The Heart of Servant Leadership
In the Marine Corps, there exists a powerful tradition that speaks volumes about true leadership: officers eat last. As Simon Sinek observes, this practice embodies a profound truth—leadership is fundamentally about sacrifice, not privilege.
When Jesus attended a banquet at a prominent Pharisee's home, He wasn't simply there for the meal. Through His words and actions, Christ was establishing a revolutionary blueprint for kingdom leadership that would challenge our natural instincts toward self-promotion and status-seeking.
Today, we'll explore how Jesus' teachings at this dinner party reveal God's heart for leadership in our churches, homes, and workplaces.
Broken Leadership: The Warning from Jeremiah
"My people have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13)
God's indictment through Jeremiah was devastating: Israel's leaders—priests, rulers, and prophets—had fundamentally failed in their calling. They had exchanged the fountain of life for broken vessels that could not sustain.
John Calvin described this as "a monstrous wickedness"—the tragic exchange of God's living presence for empty human constructs.
Leaders fail when they seek status over service, when they build monuments to themselves rather than pathways to God. This was Israel's failure, and it remains our temptation today.
Kingdom Leadership: The Lowest Place
The Worldly Pattern
Guests at the Pharisee's banquet scrambled for positions of honor, revealing their hearts' desire for status and recognition.
Jesus' Teaching
"Take the lowest place." Jesus confronts our natural inclination toward self-promotion with a call to humility.
Christ's Example
As Karl Barth observed, Christ Himself took the lowest seat of all—the cross (Philippians 2:5-11).
Calvin noted that Jesus' teaching here exposes our ambition and pride. True leadership flows not from asserting authority, but from embodying Christ-like humility. The path to kingdom influence runs downward, not upward.
Hospitality as Leadership
Jesus turned to the host with a radical redefinition of hospitality:
"When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." (Luke 14:13-14)
This teaching reveals the heart of gospel-centered leadership: serving those who cannot repay. It echoes our central theme—leaders eat last—by prioritizing the needs of the vulnerable above personal comfort or advantage.
In our Reformed tradition, pastors and elders are not called to positions of power, but to shepherd God's flock with tenderness and care. True spiritual leadership means setting aside privilege to serve others, especially those society often overlooks.
The Good News: We Are the Invited Guests
Our True Condition
In God's economy, we are the poor, crippled, blind, and lame—unable to repay the Host for His kindness. We come to Christ's table not because of our worthiness but because of His grace.
Christ, Our Host
Jesus, the true Host, welcomes us to His banquet table. At the cross, He ate last—taking the cup of suffering—so that we might eat first at the feast of salvation.
Our Response
The Belhar Confession reminds us that our response must be a commitment to unity, reconciliation, and justice—extending to others the same grace we have received.
Leadership Transformed by the Gospel
Jeremiah warned us about broken leadership—the empty cisterns that cannot hold water, the futile pursuit of self-promotion that leaves both leaders and followers spiritually parched.
Jesus showed us true leadership—the path of humility and service that leads not to diminishment but to God's exaltation in His perfect timing.
Christ embodied this leadership perfectly—giving Himself fully for those who could never repay His sacrifice.
Whether in church, home, or workplace—leadership means eating last so others may be filled.
This is not a burden but a blessing, not a diminishment but an elevation. When we lead as Christ led, we discover the paradoxical truth that in giving ourselves away, we find our true purpose.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Luke 14:11
Thank you for joining us today at Community Reformed Church.
May we go forth to lead as Christ led us—in humility, service, and sacrificial love.