On a recurring basis, there are articles in the news media about bad bosses in the workplace.  One category of reporting catalogues the behavior of employers and supervisors who are ineffective in their management roles.  Common traits of a bad boss are habits such as scapegoating employees for the failures of management, shirking work-related responsibilities, not respecting personal boundaries, and not expressing gratitude for the effort made by employees and direct reports. 

Another category of these news reports consists of suggestions and strategies for dealing with a bad boss.  The suggested strategies usually consist of managing one’s own reactions to difficult situations, using informal relationships in the workplace to mitigate the effect of a bad boss, and keeping one’s personal life separate from one’s professional life. 

The news reporting about bad bosses probably skews the general public’s view of corporate America.  While the presence of bad bosses in the workplace is indisputable and detrimental, there are probably as many good bosses as bad.  It should also be kept in mind that the success of corporations depends on the competence of employees as much as on the competence of management. 

I’d like to suggest that the awkward conversation in today’s Gospel reading between John the Baptist and Jesus can be viewed through the lens of the human relationships that constitute corporate management. 

John objected when Jesus came to receive the baptism of repentance.  He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” (Mt 3:14)  Jesus replied cryptically, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Mt 3:15)  The phrase “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” reveals three divine truths about Jesus.   

First, Jesus acknowledged the inequality of power and status that existed between himself and John.  John, the prophet of repentance, was accountable to Jesus in the sense that John’s ministry served to announce the coming of Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus didn’t want to minimize the significance of this unequal relationship; neither did he want to appear unconcerned about John’s legitimate reticence.  Jesus accepted a baptism of repentance, not because he needed to repent, but because he wanted to embrace humanity fully, including humanity’s tendency to sin and selfishness. 

Second, Jesus acknowledged that he was accountable to someone, as well.  Jesus understood his life and ministry as existing solely to serve God’s will to offer redemption to the world.  Although he was not answerable to John for his actions, he was answerable to God who called both John and Jesus to their respective vocations.  The hallmark of Jesus’ accountability to God was his extraordinary humility.  By humbly receiving a baptism of repentance, Jesus declared his intention to fulfill God’s will perfectly. 

Third, Jesus’ vocation as Savior is described accurately by Isaiah’s prophecy, “a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth.” (Isa 42:3)  Jesus was not sent by God to impose repentance on anyone, force anyone to declare faith in him, or coerce anyone to trust in God.  Jesus is the perfectly free human being who calls his fellow human beings to the perfect freedom of belonging to God freely by faith. 

The relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, as illustrated in the brief conversation in the Gospel reading, could be used as a model for the ideal relationship between a leader and a direct report.  The Gospel reading is not, however, a lesson about corporate governance; rather, it is a lesson about the governance of all things.  The event of Jesus’ baptism teaches us about God’s governance of the world and how we are to govern our lives. 

As the Scriptures say, God governs the world with righteousness.  It is important to note that, in the Scriptures, “righteousness” means giving others what one owes them.  God grants life and favor to all God’s creatures, not because we have earned these but because we have been created to receive them from God. 

Those who claim to belong to God, in turn, are obliged “to fulfill all righteousness” as Jesus did. (Mt 3:15)  If one believes the Christian Faith, one is compelled to act graciously, humbly, and responsibly toward other people. 

The media articles about workplace relationships tend to address the topic of bad bosses more often than the topic of bad employees in the workplace.  This is simply because bad bosses are more newsworthy than bad workers.  It might be advantageous, however, for us to consider the effects of employees in the workplace. 

In any social grouping, ineffective members are at least as detrimental to the group as ineffective leaders.  Jesus provides trustworthy, humble, and gracious leadership to God’s People, but good leadership does not make good membership optional or unnecessary.  The saving work of God’s kingdom requires that all the baptized “fulfill all righteousness” by fulfilling completely the baptismal vows of faith, hope, and charity.   

God’s Church will never have to face the public embarrassment of being deprived of good leadership from Jesus our Savior; neither should the Church have to face the public embarrassment of being deprived of good membership.  Jesus’ vocation of gracious, humble, and responsible leadership of God’s People governs the nature of our vocation as the baptized.  We are accountable to God and one another to be gracious, humble, and responsible in every situation.