The Availability Principle: Leadership Lesson from Jesus’ Resurrection

In my book A Leader Worth Imitating, I explain that this event has given hope to past, present, and future followers of Christ. In that book I also discuss the opportunity principle. Essentially, leaders are people who look for opportunities to lead, even if they lack experience, education, and/or expertise.

Here I want to explain how Jesus’ resurrection can also teach us that leadership opportunities are often given to leaders who make themselves available. I like to call this the availability principle.

In Luke’s account of the resurrection, three women (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James) were tasked with delivering the message that Christ had risen to His other disciples (Luke 24:1-12).

Some apologists have concluded that the fact that women were the first to witness and testify to Jesus’ resurrection is evidence that the resurrection actually happened. In their book Evidence That Demands a Verdict (2017), Josh and Sean McDowell write, “If one were to fabricate an empty tomb and risen Jesus in first-century Mediterranean culture, one would not cite women as eyewitnesses, given their low status as credible witnesses in the eyes of the people and the courts” (p. 26)

However, these three women were not given the opportunity because of their status in society or their influence among Jesus’ followers. The reason they were given the opportunity was simply because they were the ones who were available.

Application Question: How can you make yourself available to follow Christ and lead others this week?

The Week That Changed Everything (Day 8: Resurrection Sunday)