The Head Of Every Man

From The Christian Reader:

The Head of Every Man


by Robert Andrews



(This is Part Two of a series.)





Just as Jesus yielded to the will of His Father in the divine family, the man, as the head of the earthly family, is to yield to Jesus. Notice in the diagram that no one else comes between a man and Jesus Christ. No church, no elder, no personal pastor, no spiritual guru; Jesus is the “head of every man.”



One of the characteristics of cults is the tendency to control the lives of those involved in the cult. Permission from the leadership is often necessary to make major decisions, sometimes even minor ones. Even Christian churches with orthodox doctrine and sincere motives can fall into the trap of usurping the place of the Lord in a man’s life because of a desire to see him grow in Christ. Understanding Jesus as the head of every man and teaching men to learn to hear from the Lord themselves as they lead their families guard against church leadership overstepping its bounds.



The church certainly has input concerning the lives of its members. It must exercise its biblical authority to excommunicate in the case of blatant sin committed by unrepentant members. However, it is its teaching from the word of God, not its coercion that points men to the Lord.



At one point in my spiritual pilgrimage, I was a part of a church with a strong “discipleship” emphasis. I was being “discipled” by my personal pastor while at the same time pastoring others myself. We took this seemingly endless multi-level hierarchy very seriously, with all kinds of biblical rationale for our actions.



While “discipleship” itself is a biblical concept, and young believers especially need personal care, we did not understand the absolute necessity of allowing Jesus to always remain the head of every man and encouraging him to make his own decisions. No other man ever becomes his “head.” Yes, a man must receive input from church elders, submitting himself to their leadership and teaching. Certainly listening to other wise council can be very helpful. But in the final analysis, each man must make the decision that he feels the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, is asking him to make. We didn’t understand this principle of Jesus being the head of every man and often usurped the Holy Spirit’s role in people’s lives with much pain as a result.





The king over his domain



The diagram sheds some light on one of the idea that a part of God’s commission for man was to “rule” for Him on the earth. God has given us specific stewardship responsibilities, and He expects us to rule over them for Him, and in this way, His rule is effectively extended. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus explains that we will one day give an account of how we have ruled over His possessions. All that we have belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1), and we are but stewards, or caretakers.



One of those responsibilities that God has given to a man, over which he must learn to rule well, is his wife and children—his family. Most men do not think of themselves as rulers, or kings, over their families, but they are. Each man is a king over his domain and carries God’s divine authority into his home as its head. He must learn to rule over it as Jesus Christ’s representative, first to his wife and then to his children.



At this point I can almost feel the resistance. “What do you mean, “rule?’ That sounds heavy-handed and tyrannical to me. I don’t like that word.” I can understand that reaction, and it expresses a legitimate concern that I want to address very carefully.



The rule of Jesus Christ



Was Jesus heavy-handed and tyrannical? Did those to whom He ministered feel put down, dominated and suppressed? Does He not currently “rule” over all the earth? He does (Acts 2:33, 1 Corinthians 15:25), and He has delegated this gracious servant-rule to men in the family to exercise for Him. In His prayer in John 17:18, He says that He is sending the disciples into the world just as His Father had sent Him into the world; to extend the rule of the kingdom of God. Properly administered, that rule will produce peace and freedom.



In John 17, Jesus gives an accounting to His Father of His rule over the disciples, His “family,” while He was on the earth as the Son of Man. Let’s see how Jesus ruled over His family, and we will see how we in turn, as men, are to rule over ours.



First, as I have already said, Jesus ruled as a steward. It’s important to see that at least six times in this chapter Jesus refers to His disciples as “the men you have given Me” (vs. 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 24). He understood that He was but a steward, not the “owner” of those under His authority. As a steward, He never magnified Himself but constantly reminded the disciples that he represented His Father. He was quick to give credit or glory to His Father (vs. 4), revealing by His words and deeds what His Father was like, always letting His disciples know that everything He said and did originated with His Father (vs. 6, 7).



Second, Jesus ruled as a servant. To rule should inherently connote service. Because our politicians (our “public servants” in civil government), tyrannical church leaders, and domineering husbands have often used their power selfishly for their own ends, they have given us a warped concept of “ruling.” Jesus was indeed a servant-ruler, saying in Matthew 20:28, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many,” leaving an example of the attitude of a servant-ruler for His disciples by washing their feet at the Last Supper.



Third, Jesus ruled as king. He taught His disciples to be obedient to God’s law as He expressed it (vs. 6). He expected to be obeyed by the disciples, and He equated their obedience as evidence of their love for Him (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24). He did not hesitate to act and speak with authority, because He knew He carried the delegated authority of His Father. His leadership was decisive, and when that leadership was challenged by a “family” member, He was willing to confront that resistance head on, because He knew He led according to God’s word and to refuse to follow His leadership was to resist the plan of God (Matthew 16:21-23).



Fourth, Jesus ruled as lover. Jesus was confident that His Father loved Him, and the love relationship He had with His Father was reproduced in His love for His disciples (vs. 23, 24, 26). His Father’s love flowed through Him to His “family,” as He nurtured and cherished them, literally giving His life for them.



Finally, everything He did was bathed in prayer for His disciples (vs. 9) and for us as their spiritual descendants (vs. 20) that they and we would not be captured by Satan (vs.15).



This is the report Jesus gives His Father in John 17. He does not shrink from being held accountable for what He has done during His ministry and opens Himself up to evaluation by the One under whose authority He resides. His report is the specifics on how He had ruled over those that God had given Him. His rule doesn’t sound very oppressive to me, but it was rule nonetheless, because responsibility for them had been given to Jesus, and Jesus is giving an account of that rule here in John 17.



To be continued…