Effective leaders have the persistence to overcome obstacles. Read Mark 2:1-12.

Jesus’ reputation as a teacher of God’s law and as a man who could heal the sick and perform other miracles had spread among the people. Crowds were getting so large whenever Jesus spoke in public that it became difficult for people to get their sick friends to Jesus for healing. When four men, carrying a man on a stretcher, tried to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus there was no possible way to get him through the crowds and into the house where Jesus was teaching. They did not give up; they climbed to the roof, tore a hole in the roof and lowered him into the room where Jesus was teaching and he was healed.

The effective leader sets priorities and lives by those priorities. Read Mark 1:32-38.

Jesus was having tremendous ministry in the city of Capernaum and news about Him spread quickly throughout the whole region of Galilee. Jesus’ schedule was full from first light to late into the evening, yet Mark tells us that Jesus got up early in the morning and went to a solitary place to pray. Jesus set priorities which included stepping back from His busy schedule to seek the day’s direction from God. Jesus used the solitude of His prayer time to regain perspective and keep His focus on the big picture of His mission on earth.

Effective leaders practice restraint when using their power and influence. Read Matthew 26:57-68.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had finally had enough of His public statements pointing out their outright disobedience to the spirit of God’s laws for governing the people. Jesus was arrested and brought before the religious Supreme Court called the Sanhedrin. Even though Jesus had the power to call down legions of angels as His character witnesses or for His protection He endured the false accusations and attacks because He knew His Father was in control of the situation (1 Peter 2:23). Jesus restrained the use of His power, trusting God to bring justice as it fit into His perfect plan.

A leader’s character is under constant scrutiny. Read Matthew 22:15-46.

Jesus’ words concerning the religious leader’s lack of character triggered their anger and they determined to embarrass Him publicly. The two most powerful religious groups, the Pharisees and Sadducees, sent representatives to ask Jesus difficult questions about Judaism, hoping to show the people that Jesus was not a prophet but a fake who should not be trusted and should, in fact, be killed for violations to the faith. These leaders tried to trap Jesus concerning payment of taxes, His beliefs concerning heaven and the resurrection of the dead, and His beliefs concerning the commandments and the laws of Moses. In their society, wrong answers to these questions could bring a death sentence.

A hostile audience is a great test of a leader’s communication skills. Read Matthew 21:23-27 and Matthew 21:33-46.

Those serving in leadership of Judaism despised Jesus. The strict rules of the priesthood came down hard on anyone claiming to be a representative of God let alone the Son of God. Even though Jesus did not proclaim He was the Son of God in His public messages, neither did He deny it and to the religious leaders the lack of denial was equal to proclaiming it. Lest I leave the impression all their motives were pure, the religious leaders also did not want to have anyone upset their power grip on the people and their profitable financial activities. These leaders were angry with Jesus and would have had him killed but they were afraid of violating the law of the Roman occupying force and they were afraid of the Jewish people who thought Jesus was a prophet.