Leaders Eat Last
The Message Today 8/31/2025 “Leaders Eat Last”
One of my favorite inspirational speakers is Simon Sinek. Simon is world renowned in his field, and he speaks to many of the leading companies in the world. He is especially fond of the military, especially in their views on how soldiers act in the field. One story he told was his discussion with a marine. He asked the marine what was so different with the soldiers in the marines, in other words, why did they have each other’s backs the way they do. He asked this question during chow time, when all the soldiers were at the mess hall, and the simple response he got was “Leader’s eat last.” Simon looked around the mess hall and saw all the officers, in rank waiting to eat. No matter what the circumstance was, if you outranked, the next person, they ate first. If you were the same rank as someone else, time served in the military was the deciding factor. Soldiers argued over who would eat last. This was the culture in the marines. Some of you may think differently, some of you might have been marines, and this might not have been necessarily so but to Simon, this was the case. Why? Because leadership, at its heart, is not about privilege or power but about sacrifice. Good leaders make sure their people are cared for before they themselves are cared for.
Jesus would have nodded at that. Because in Luke 14, we find Him sitting at the home of a prominent Pharisee on the Sabbath. All eyes are on Him, but Jesus is watching the guests. He sees them scrambling for the best seats at the table — the places of honor. And right there, He teaches what leadership in God’s kingdom looks like. Here’s an interesting thing. Leaders watch. Simon Sinek, he watched. We read that Jesus watched. The guests were scrambling for the better seats. I wonder what they were watching. The leader’s that eat last. I bet they observe who the best soldiers might be. Proverbs 8:34-35 – “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.” Waiting and watching at God’s door is not wasted – it leads to life and favor.
But first, let’s hear how Jeremiah shows us what failed leadership looks like. During this time of Jeremiah’s service as a prophet, there was broken leadership. Here, Jeremiah delivered God’s courtroom speech against Israel. Israel had the fountain of living water, yet they traded it for broken cisterns, cracked wells that could not hold water. They treated a life with the Lord for a life of debauchery, and God was not happy. In his comments in the institutes of Religion, John Calvin called this “a monstrous wickedness.” These people left a God who called them out of Egypt, gave them a fertile land, and what do they do? They chase after false idols. And even worse, it was the leaders who failed by not asking “where is the Lord?” The rulers rebelled, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal (v8).
Isn’t it true that when leaders turn away from God, people tend to follow. Our society today has a lot to think about regarding that. Leadership back then failed because it was self-serving, not God-serving. Let me ask everyone this: do we first remember the time when a leader may have berated someone, or do we remember the time when the leader showed class and respect for someone? Let me tell you a story. One of the things that stuck to my mind about leadership was during the 2008 presidential election when John McCain was running against Barack Obama. Three weeks before the election McCain came out twice and defended people’s perception of Obama saying, “He is a decent person and a person you do not have to be scared as president of the United States.” Another person, after calling Obama an Arab, he stated, “No Ma’am, he is a decent family man citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that is what this campaign is all about.” The next day Obama thanked him saying we can disagree while being respectful of each other. Friends, this is the leadership that Jesus talks about. Sometimes, we need to take a back seat and let the process take care of itself. Somewhere in the next decade, and today, we have lost that.
Jesus says to us that leadership is hospitality. Jesus turns to the host. “When you throw a banquet,” He says, “don’t just invite your friends, relatives, or wealthy neighbors. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”
What is He saying? Leadership is not about surrounding yourself with those who make you look good or those who can repay you. It’s about serving the vulnerable, the forgotten, the overlooked. In other words: leaders eat last. They give away privilege so others can flourish. They open their table so others can belong.
Simon Sinek noticed it in the Marines. Jesus demanded it of His disciples. And the Reformed tradition has always emphasized it: pastors, elders, and deacons are not called to positions of power but to roles of service — shepherds who care for the flock, and the best part is that we do not just hear it as a command, we hear it as good news. The truth of the matter is that we are all the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind in some facet of our lives. We had nothing to offer to God, and we could never repay Him, yet Christ is the Host who welcomes us. Jesus took the lowest seat at the cross. He bore our shame. He became last so that we might be lifted up by grace. We now have a place at God’s eternal banquet.
We are reminded by our own Belhar confession that God’s kingdom is for the marginalized and that the church is to embody unity, reconciliation, and justice. That is not only theology, but also leadership.
So, what do we learn today?
So, whether you are a consistory member, a parent, a teacher, a manager, or simply someone with influence over another life — remember this: leadership in God’s kingdom means eating last, so that others may be filled. Leaders not only show it by being last in line at the chow table, but they are first in line at the courtesy table. Jesus tells us about true leadership in today’s gospel lesson from Luke. Have a blessed week.
One of my favorite inspirational speakers is Simon Sinek. Simon is world renowned in his field, and he speaks to many of the leading companies in the world. He is especially fond of the military, especially in their views on how soldiers act in the field. One story he told was his discussion with a marine. He asked the marine what was so different with the soldiers in the marines, in other words, why did they have each other’s backs the way they do. He asked this question during chow time, when all the soldiers were at the mess hall, and the simple response he got was “Leader’s eat last.” Simon looked around the mess hall and saw all the officers, in rank waiting to eat. No matter what the circumstance was, if you outranked, the next person, they ate first. If you were the same rank as someone else, time served in the military was the deciding factor. Soldiers argued over who would eat last. This was the culture in the marines. Some of you may think differently, some of you might have been marines, and this might not have been necessarily so but to Simon, this was the case. Why? Because leadership, at its heart, is not about privilege or power but about sacrifice. Good leaders make sure their people are cared for before they themselves are cared for.
Jesus would have nodded at that. Because in Luke 14, we find Him sitting at the home of a prominent Pharisee on the Sabbath. All eyes are on Him, but Jesus is watching the guests. He sees them scrambling for the best seats at the table — the places of honor. And right there, He teaches what leadership in God’s kingdom looks like. Here’s an interesting thing. Leaders watch. Simon Sinek, he watched. We read that Jesus watched. The guests were scrambling for the better seats. I wonder what they were watching. The leader’s that eat last. I bet they observe who the best soldiers might be. Proverbs 8:34-35 – “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.” Waiting and watching at God’s door is not wasted – it leads to life and favor.
But first, let’s hear how Jeremiah shows us what failed leadership looks like. During this time of Jeremiah’s service as a prophet, there was broken leadership. Here, Jeremiah delivered God’s courtroom speech against Israel. Israel had the fountain of living water, yet they traded it for broken cisterns, cracked wells that could not hold water. They treated a life with the Lord for a life of debauchery, and God was not happy. In his comments in the institutes of Religion, John Calvin called this “a monstrous wickedness.” These people left a God who called them out of Egypt, gave them a fertile land, and what do they do? They chase after false idols. And even worse, it was the leaders who failed by not asking “where is the Lord?” The rulers rebelled, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal (v8).
Isn’t it true that when leaders turn away from God, people tend to follow. Our society today has a lot to think about regarding that. Leadership back then failed because it was self-serving, not God-serving. Let me ask everyone this: do we first remember the time when a leader may have berated someone, or do we remember the time when the leader showed class and respect for someone? Let me tell you a story. One of the things that stuck to my mind about leadership was during the 2008 presidential election when John McCain was running against Barack Obama. Three weeks before the election McCain came out twice and defended people’s perception of Obama saying, “He is a decent person and a person you do not have to be scared as president of the United States.” Another person, after calling Obama an Arab, he stated, “No Ma’am, he is a decent family man citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that is what this campaign is all about.” The next day Obama thanked him saying we can disagree while being respectful of each other. Friends, this is the leadership that Jesus talks about. Sometimes, we need to take a back seat and let the process take care of itself. Somewhere in the next decade, and today, we have lost that.
Jesus says to us that leadership is hospitality. Jesus turns to the host. “When you throw a banquet,” He says, “don’t just invite your friends, relatives, or wealthy neighbors. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”
What is He saying? Leadership is not about surrounding yourself with those who make you look good or those who can repay you. It’s about serving the vulnerable, the forgotten, the overlooked. In other words: leaders eat last. They give away privilege so others can flourish. They open their table so others can belong.
Simon Sinek noticed it in the Marines. Jesus demanded it of His disciples. And the Reformed tradition has always emphasized it: pastors, elders, and deacons are not called to positions of power but to roles of service — shepherds who care for the flock, and the best part is that we do not just hear it as a command, we hear it as good news. The truth of the matter is that we are all the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind in some facet of our lives. We had nothing to offer to God, and we could never repay Him, yet Christ is the Host who welcomes us. Jesus took the lowest seat at the cross. He bore our shame. He became last so that we might be lifted up by grace. We now have a place at God’s eternal banquet.
We are reminded by our own Belhar confession that God’s kingdom is for the marginalized and that the church is to embody unity, reconciliation, and justice. That is not only theology, but also leadership.
So, what do we learn today?
- From Jeremiah: leaders who forsake God dig broken cisterns. They fail their people when they pursue their own honor.
- From Jesus: true leaders take the lowest place. They eat last. They invite those who cannot repay. They lead not with privilege but with sacrifice.
So, whether you are a consistory member, a parent, a teacher, a manager, or simply someone with influence over another life — remember this: leadership in God’s kingdom means eating last, so that others may be filled. Leaders not only show it by being last in line at the chow table, but they are first in line at the courtesy table. Jesus tells us about true leadership in today’s gospel lesson from Luke. Have a blessed week.
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