John 9:22-23
(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
Tag: Leadership by Fear
The above verse is taken from the story of the blind man that was healed by Jesus. The religious leaders of the day saw him rejoicing and asked why. He told them he was healed by Jesus. Rather than joining in the worship with him the Pharisees were upset that Jesus would dare to heal on the Sabbath. They disputed that the man was even born blind and brought his parents in for clarification. However, as we can see from the text, his parents feared reprisal and retribution. Such was the leadership style of the Pharisees. They had a leadership of fear. They refused to submit to the leadership of God and lead by faith, grace, mercy and love. They walked around to intimidate and to cause fear in the lives of those they oversaw. Leadership by Fear is so demeaning and restrictive. It causes others to see that they aren't valued for who they are but for what they do and how they do it. Leadership by Fear promotes performance based living. However, it also promotes a performance based living that knows it can never reach the standards that the leader is demanding. The Pharisees were supposed to lead others to God. Instead they lead by fear and caused people to be restricted from God. God wants us to "fear" Him, but in reverence and awe. Not because we think He will blast us from the earth and kick us out of His "club." The Pharisees lead by fear. That damaged and hindered people coming to God.
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