They came to Capernaum; and when He (Jesus) was in the house, He began to question them (his disciples), "What were you discussing on the way?" But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."-Mark 9:33-35

They came to Capernaum; and when He (Jesus) was in the house, He began to question them (his disciples), "What were you discussing on the way?" But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."-Mark 9:33-35

(At mealtime in the Yup'ik Eskimo culture, fathers eat first, then elders, and then women and children eat last. The same is true of cultures as far-flung as India, Zambia and Samoa.

Imagine being a father in such a culture, particularly a culture where food is scarce? Each meal is another opportunity for you to teach your children a lesson. Would you teach them sacrifice and the depths of your love by taking only what you need to keep your strength? Or would you teach them less savory truths about humanity. To be sure, as these cultures established their customs, it was likely necessary for the father to eat first to sustain his strength in order to bring in tomorrow's meal. But aid workers now tell us the practice often leaves little for women and children in poor areas of the world.

The love of a father for his wife and children is defined each meal by the amount of food taken from the family table.)

Westerners will surely reel at the idea of using this concept as the basis for compensation; perhaps rightfully so. After all, it is most certainly the "carrot at the end of the stick" that is responsible for much of the incredible progress resulting from our continuous tweaking of the free enterprise system.

Still, there must be a kernel of usefulness to the concept, particularly for Christian men and women who say they want to lead like Jesus. How much is enough? When does what we accept in our compensation package define our compassion for our workers? Are there opportunities for us to take only what we need in order to assure that the newest worker in the firm has a living wage?

For men and women who follow Christ, every area of their lives is an opportunity to teach others about Him. Leaders and managers who indulge themselves at the expense of their companies or their employees may view their perks and pay as rewards well-earned, but this probably demonstrates a life of service to self over others, hardly the sacrificial example Christ set during His time on earth.

To be certain, leadership is lonely, and can often be difficult. And the price one pays to be a leader or manager merits special consideration when it comes to sorting out pay questions. Still, a man or woman who carefully considers the employees God has given them charge over before accepting even what is offered as their rightful entitlement, is a man or woman who begins to mirror the kind of leadership Christ modeled; and the kind of leadership He beckons all of us to in the small pockets where we find ourselves leading.

The principle doesn't cease to be useful in compensation areas either. Parents in the chaotically busy schedules characteristic of Western cultures face similar serve-me-first dilemmas when sorting out priorities and the demands of careers versus the needs of their children.

Truth is, each of us face the kinds of choices fathers in these men-eat-first cultures face. How we behave in those moments defines our compassion, and our understanding of the servant leadership to which Jesus calls us all.