"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
-Hebrews 13:7-8 ESV
It feels like a week can't go by without hearing about another pastoral failure. Whether I'm hearing from a friend or reading about it in the news, it is stunning to learn about another pastor with a shocking moral failure. Some take the shape of various types of abuse. Some have a domineering leadership style. For others it is manipulation. Some include sexual immorality. Still others are due to greed and financial dishonesty. It is often surprising to learn that the public image was managed well while the pastor's private life didn't match it. Whatever the specific issue, it is stunning and sometimes disorienting to hear about these situations.
Many of the issues that pop up are directly addressed in the qualifications for being a leader in the church (i.e., elder). Here is Paul's list of qualifications for church leaders:
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:2-7 ESV).For those who have experienced these challenging situations personally, the pain can cut deeply; some even claim to leave the Christian faith. Others remain as Christians but are left with serious wounds which need to be healed and mended. It can be hard to reconcile how God has used someone so powerfully in your life while that person has lived in serious sin.
Each situation is unique; therefore, the pathway to healing will probably be unique as well. Many find that prayer, Scripture reading, counseling, helpful books, trusted family and friends, rest, and hobbies can aid in the healing process. (I don't, by any means, want to negate the importance of pursuing healing in these ways. If you are in a situation like this then I would encourage you to reach out to a godly, Bible-saturated pastor, friend, or counselor.) However, as I have heard of two more of these pastoral failures this week, I had a deep urge arise within me to focus my eyes on Christ. Doing so helps the destabilized feel stabilized. It helps the hopeless experience hope. And it helps those in sorrow find joy. So, I thought I would bring you on that journey with me...
The following will have two parts: (1) 10 ways to fix your eyes on Jesus when you are rocked by a pastoral failure and (2) a brief discussion on Hebrews 13:7-8.
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First, here are 10 ways to fix your eyes on Jesus when you are rocked by a pastoral failure.
#1 - Jesus empathizes with you in your pain.
Jesus experienced betrayal. When he was being brutally murdered, some of his closest friends and leaders left him. Not only did Jesus experience betrayal, but the author of Hebrews writes this: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15 ESV). Jesus lived life on earth in a fallen and sinful world. He experienced the things that we do, but he never sinned. So, he understands your pain.
#2 - Jesus will walk with you as you recover.
Jesus said that he would always be with us "to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). So, he is with you as you recover. And the Father will even provide comfort to you through Christ in the middle of the hardships of life. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" (2 Cor. 1:3-5 ESV). So, Jesus will walk with you as you recover.
#3 - Jesus is gentle and lowly; he gives rest and lifts burdens off of the weary.
Matthew records Jesus saying this: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30 ESV). He is not the burden giver but the burden lifter.
#4 - Some day Jesus will wipe every tear from your eyes; he loves you.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will successfully bring us into the new heavens and the new earth. This will be a perfect place to live! John writes, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . ." (Rev. 21:4 ESV). No tear will be missed. Every single tear will be wiped away from your eyes. Every sadness acknowledged. Every pain mended.
#5 - Some day Jesus will eliminate all sin, sickness, and suffering (and leadership failures); there is hope.
Concerning the new heavens and the new earth, John writes this in Revelation: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:1-4 ESV). You will live with God. He will remove sadness, sickness, suffering, and sin. He will put death to death. So, the new heavens and the new earth are coming; there is hope!
#6 - Jesus is perfect; he will never surprise you with a shocking secret sin.
Scripture says that Jesus was "without sin" (Heb. 4:15 ESV), and it also says: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8 ESV). He is without sin, and he never changes. So, we'll never be able to find sin in Jesus (forever!). He is perfect.
#7 - Jesus is a perfect servant leader.
Jesus is fully God and fully human. He is perfect in every way (including in his leadership) and yet he came to humbly serve others: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45 ESV). As a leader, he perfectly embodied love. He never once made a leadership mistake! Therefore, you can rest in the fact that every decision he makes is right. His tone is always perfect. His motives are always pure. He is a perfect servant leader.
#8 - Jesus will hold pastors to a higher standard.
James shows that teachers will be judged with greater strictness: "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness" (James 3:1 ESV). Moreover, the author of Hebrews demonstrates that pastors will have to give an account for how they watched over souls: "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you" (Heb. 13:17 ESV). Thus, Jesus will hold pastors to a higher standard.
#9 - Despite poor leadership, Jesus has not given up on the church.
The church is called the bride of Christ. Jesus promised that nothing will stop him from building his church (including pastoral failures): "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18 ESV). Jesus, then, will successfully and perfectly get the church to the end result that he is seeking. Satan (or anyone else) cannot stop it.
#10 - Jesus is better.
The author of Hebrews opens his book in this way: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs" (Heb. 1:1-4 ESV). And throughout the rest of the book of Hebrews the theme becomes clear: Jesus is superior to everything and everyone! Jesus is better.
In sum, Jesus is with you. He empathizes with your pain and will one day remove every source of pain. He is the perfect leader who will never fail you. He is worthy of your worship.
Forgive As You Have Been Forgiven
Ultimately, however, it is important to remember that we are all sinners. Leaders are sinners, and non-leaders are sinners as well. We don't do what God wants us to do, and we do the things he says not to do. We all need forgiveness.
And we all need to extend forgiveness as well. Paul writes, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col. 3:12-14; emphasis mine). What a great reminder in situations like this! The Lord has forgiven you and me of so much, and we should extend forgiveness to others as well.
Now, that does not mean that pastoral failures should not be addressed by the church's leadership. They should. And depending on the situation, the pastor may need to step down from church leadership permanently (click here for more on disqualification in ministry). It also still may be necessary to get counseling, set boundaries, or even join a new church. Nevertheless, we still must forgive. I've heard some Christian counselors give the advice to focus on forgiving later. However, I'm not aware of any Bible texts that suggest putting off forgiveness. Undoubtedly, you may find yourself forgiving over and over again. Perhaps you might even find new things to forgive as you heal. But I would feel uneasy about suggesting that we can put off forgiveness. Scripture clearly says that we should forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven us (Col. 3:13). Ask for the Lord's help with this!
But, it remains true that all of us are sinners who need Jesus. We need the good news of Jesus (i.e., the gospel). Jesus lived a perfect life, died in our place, and resurrected from the grave so that we can be forgiven if we believe. And we can forgive those who have hurt us and look to Jesus as the perfect leader. Jesus is better.
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Second, let's dissect Hebrews 13:7-8: "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
"Remember your leaders,"
Scripture tells us to remember our leaders. This is a command. We are to consider them, their lives and their doctrine.
"those who spoke to you the word of God."
This shows that leaders should speak God's words to us (i.e., Scripture) —not human ideas but God's word. The assumption here is that the leaders will preach and teach the Scriptures. Moreover, the leaders worth remembering are the ones who faithfully share God's words to us.
"Consider the outcome of their way of life,"
Some leaders end well and some do not. Some are faithful and some are not. Scripture says to consider those who speak God's word to you and to consider the outcome of their lives. If you have been rocked by a leadership failure, then it is good to remind yourself that not all pastors are like that. No pastor is perfect. All pastors are sinners in need of grace (just like you and me). But, there really are pastors out there who embody the qualifications for eldership (1 Tim. 3). There really are pastors who are gentle and lowly like Jesus (Matt. 11:28-30). There really are pastors who end well. Find those pastors and consider the outcome of their lives.
"and imitate their faith."
And we're supposed to do something about it. We should copy their lifestyle. We should imitate their lives and doctrine. Find the godly pastors and church leaders and imitate them.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Jesus will never change. He was the same 2,000 years ago as he is today. He will be the same solid rock foundation for all of eternity. He is the only perfect leader to imitate. Furthermore, he is our only Savior King. Though he is a model and example to imitate, he is much more than that. He is God, and he is your Savior.
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Christ alone is perfect.
Christ alone will never fail you.
Christ alone is eternally worthy of your faith and worship.
I'll close in the words of Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty in the song "In Christ Alone":
In Christ alone my hope is found,He is my light, my strength, my song;This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.What heights of love, what depths of peace,When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!My Comforter, my All in All,Here in the love of Christ I stand.