“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” Mark 8:31-33
Jesus consistently cast an energising vision of God’s coming kingdom. Not the vision in the sense of a revelation, but the vision which was set before His disciples to grasp by way of accepting the realities of the prophesied kingdom to come. Such vision was so compelling we find the disciples left everything to follow him. In Mark 8.31-33, Jesus reveals to the disciples His vision would come with a greater cost than any expected, a demand requiring Jesus’ total commitment. The description was so graphic, Peter rebuked the Saviour, resulting in the Lord making a statement which would not be soon forgotten, “Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” Undoubtedly, the reply came as a great shock, how could one of Jesus’ most trusted men, one who just proclaimed Him as Messiah, the Son of the loving God, be equated with the adversary, the first rebel who conceived sin into all of the creation (Isaiah 14)? The answer is simple, even though he thought his move of rebuke was noble, it was, in fact, a distortion of vision the Lord had laid before the disciples and consequently the world. Jesus knew He would have to risk His disciples’ rejection of the vision by revealing the ultimate cost in order for the vision to become a reality. Any leader who sets a goal without showing the path to that goal is in danger of failing to realise the vision, even if it is his vision.
It was once said, “leadership success always starts with vision. Compelling visions can change the world. But staying invested in them can be extremely difficult when hard times arrive.” Great leaders have always understood this, even if they did not apply the knowledge in difficult times. Great leaders not only cast visions which are challenging, but they do so with intentional methods. There will always be a cost to anything worth doing and a vision set before a team which is presented without a price is either erroneously viewed or is a goal viewed only in the dark. A great leader, bent on success, realise a vision only becomes a reality by setting realistic, demanding goals. Such goals are not set forth in a fog, they are to be real, achievable and therefore must be sought after relentlessly.
I was taught in business many years ago, to be ‘politely persistent”, if we were going to be successful it required regular labour fueled by passion. It is this passion for the vision which enables each and every one of us to live out the vision.
Jesus provided a compelling vision, but He never hid within a cloak of secrecy when it came to warning the disciples it would come with a cost. As a leader, be it at home, the ministry, work or school, we must understand we owe others an honest and complete picture of such a glorious future. It is a grave mistake to promote a prize but hide the price. It is not only unfair but is also dishonest. Just imagine walking into the shop and seeing this beautiful item on the shelf which was exactly what you need to complete a project at home. In your mind, you have already envisioned the benefit it would provide, the completion of a well overdue project and now you will be able to fulfil the dream and do so with extraordinary competency. You inspect the price and find it is exactly what you are willing to pay. Walking to the till your excitement is bubbling over. Once handing it to the cashier, you pull your wallet out, only to discover the price is three times what was listed on the shelf. Just imagine the disappointment, the discouragement and quite frankly you would be dishevelled with the entire project and quit. This may sound silly, but it is the same thing we do when we place a vision of success and glorious living before a people without allowing them to fully understand there is a cost to the cause.
Jesus was honest and upfront with His disciples, they initially rejected the idea, but the Lord was steadfast in His presentation and assured them it would be worth it in the end. This is what is required of us if we are to make a difference in the world. Yes, there is a cost in the vision, but it will be worth it in end. “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
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