Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

Many books and movies have been written about good kings building their armies … and who they trust in the leadership roles. As they grant authority, at times it works out well. Other times there is a fractionating of the Kingdom or coup for power.

We have seen this throughout history. Some of the more famous ones are: 1) in October 1799, French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte schemed to overthrow the five-member “Directory” that ruled France. Through a series of events, he succeeded in crowning himself Emperor for a time.

2) In February 1936, Spanish General Francisco Franco was sent off to a remote post in the Canary Islands, after a leftist coalition won Spain's elections. On July 18 of the same year, he issued a manifesto imploring the military to overthrow the government. He succeeded only in taking one third of the country. And this resulted in a three-year civil war.

3) Throughout American politics, we have seen people trying to seize power. In 1801, Aaron Burr ran with Thomas Jefferson as Vice President, but they both received the same number of electoral votes - 73. Burr then ran a counter campaign in the House of Representatives to challenge Jefferson for the Presidential job. He lost and served as Vice President, but never gained the trust of Jefferson again. He ended up killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel later and being arrested for assembling a private militia in the West. Jefferson ordered him arrested for treason.

Each of these examples shows us a couple of things in how the world grants power and how it is coveted. Power is granted to the strong, mostly military or civic leaders by those in leadership of a nation. Kings grant power to military leaders. Presidents can bring in Vice Presidents who have influence to help them win the vote. However, the thirst for power can consume some and make it challenging to maintain loyalty and order in the ranks.

In contrast, Jesus picked some lowly fishermen to lead his new kingdom under his authority. And he granted them broad authority to drive out evil spirits and heal the sick and diseased. He was not worried about a revolt, likely for a few reasons: 1) God the Father was on his side, 2) His mission of suffering was not one that people typically fought over. The only attempted betrayal did not work, because he knew that sacrificing himself was the mission. Judas’ betrayal only served to fulfill the mission. 3) He understood the power of a forgiven and redeemed soul. Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ executive leadership team, and Andrew, another disciple. All fishermen and not recognized for their societal positions or military might. Yet they ended up leading (under Jesus) in the start of the largest and longest sustaining kingdom ever — the Kingdom of God under Christ Jesus.

These fishermen, under Jesus, are clearly the Greatest Leaders of All Time (GLOATs)!

How did Jesus accomplish loyalty and trust in the ranks? He granted authority, walked with his men and loved them, sacrificed all for them, and forgave them when they fell or even betrayed him.

Quite a stark contrast from the leadership structure of the world and a massively different outcome as well!

How am I leading today? Who do I seek to help me lead? How will I grow them into their roles? Jesus is the best example here!

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to lead under your authority. Teach me to continue to lead by love, sacrifice, and forgiveness, with justice. You are the best leadership model in history. Your book is a required read every day to refocus and hone my leadership skills. Continue to open my heart, my eyes, and guide my actions in your ways, I pray.