Articles by Mentor Network
The Tipping Point of Brokenness
Led by Jesus Part 4 of 4
By C. Gene Wilkes
The Tipping Point of Brokenness
We all have heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s insightful bestseller, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. (Little, Brown and Company, 2000) He gleaned the “three rules of the tipping point” from his assumption that “Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.” (7) I want to apply his concept of a tipping point to our final dialogue about leaders led by Jesus:
Somewhere in a leader’s relationship with Jesus a tipping point occurs that causes him to submit to Jesus’ complete leadership of his personal mission and life and launches him into a new level of leadership never before experienced. I believe that tipping point is brokenness.
Peter, the apprentice of Jesus we have followed through these articles, was both an “activist” follower and “narcissist” leader when Jesus chose him to join Him on mission. (See articles Part 1 and Part 2.) We saw how Jesus mentored and coached Peter to become a humble, servant leader. Was there a moment or experience that “tipped” Peter to total submission to Jesus’ leadership of every area of his life? My answer is, “Yes,” and I believe that moment came at Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus in the night of Jesus’ trial before his death.
You know the story, but I get insight into Peter’s relationship with Jesus best from Luke’s rendition of the event. Luke tells us that when Peter denied that he knew Jesus, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61, 62) Jesus’ look of accountability and tangible sign of His prophetic words in the rooster’s crow broke Peter’s heart. His bitter weeping was the telltale sign of his heart’s true condition, and that state of brokenness prepared the way for him to be ultimately led by Jesus.
How can I put so much weight on Peter’s brokenness at his denial as the tipping point of his complete submission and subsequent power-filled ministry with the Risen Lord? His denial was the final eye-to-eye encounter between Jesus and Peter after Peter’s pride-filled proclamation he would never leave Jesus’ side (Luke 22:33) and Peter’s encounter with the Risen Lord. We don’t hear or see Peter in the Gospel stories until the day he finds the empty tomb. After that encounter and Jesus’ restoration of Peter to his place of leadership recorded by John (21), Peter becomes a “Die Hard” follower a la Kellerman and becomes the de facto leader of the Jesus Movement after the Leader’s ascension into heaven.
After his brokenness, Jesus’ gentle restoration and empowering by the Holy Spirit, Peter became a power-filled servant leader. He proclaimed boldly the message of Jesus (Acts 2), stood confidently in the face of opposition (Acts 4), pushed the envelope of acceptance to all people (Acts 10, and was the bridge builder that saved the church’s mission to all ethnic groups (Acts 15). Peter’s brokenness made it possible for Jesus to truly become his Leader and for Jesus’ mission to become Peter’s mission.
Does brokenness still play a part in a leader’s relationship with Jesus? Dan Allender (Leading With A Limp, 69, 70) has captured the essence of the role of brokenness that produces humility in leadership. He surmises:
Humility comes from humiliation, not from the choice to be self-effacing or a strong urge to give others the credit…For most leaders, humility comes only by wounds suffered from foolish falls. This is the terrible secret about leadership and life: we achieve brokenness by falling off our throne. To be broken is not a choice; it is a gift.
Peter became Christ’s humble, servant leader through the humiliation of failing Jesus and the brokenness that prepared his heart to receive the gift of forgiveness and restoration from his Leader.
I wish I had “three rules of brokenness” I could give you to go out and perform in order for you to be completely loyal to Jesus’ leadership and mission. But, as Allender mused, I am afraid that gift will only come as you lead and as you “fall off your throne” and discover like Peter the way to be ultimately a leader led by Jesus is to be broken through humiliation and gently restored by your Leader to serve others on mission with Him.
By C. Gene Wilkes
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