Jonathan from the Bible may be one of my all time favorite leaders.

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership, recently, because I’m working on writing a book for young guys about what it means to be a man while we’re young. Obviously, a big part of “being a man” is being a leader, right? Taking initiative, standing strong, commanding groups of people–all that.

When we think of great leaders in the Bible, people often immediately think of David or Joshua or even Jonathan’s father Saul because they led with authority. (Saul not so much in his latter years.)

But in many ways, it takes more strength, humility, and grit to play Jonathan’s role, to be a follower instead of a king.

Think about it.

From a human perspective, the throne belonged to Jonathan and David was a usurper. Jonathan was the heir-apparent; David was a royal outsider. It was within Jonathan’s (human) “right” to protest and consider David a rebel.

Yet Jonathan had an unflinching resolve and conviction to follow David and remain loyal to him while honoring his father King Saul.

Can you imagine?! Imagine being so close to having the throne and power as your own and yet giving it all up willingly. Just a brief look at the history of European monarchs or communist-Russian dictators is enough to tell you that a position of such power is no small thing to pass up. Goodness, some guys can’t even handle another guy getting “the girl”. 

We place a lot of emphasis on stepping up and leading out. We admire people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs and MLK Jr. who don’t wait around for others but take the bull by the horns and forge the new way on their own. These guys are truly remarkable. David was truly remarkable.

Yet, David needed Jonathan. Without Jonathan, he likely would’ve been murdered by the mad king.

Yes, initiative is incredibly important. I wish more people were capable of taking initiative and swimming upstream. Being able to buckle up and rally a team is essential to progress. But I think what makes leaders truly great is having the ability to follow really well.

Because without good followers, no one can lead.

Jonathan is historically a nobody. He was never king. His name isn’t in any Messianic genealogies. He’s not listed in Hebrews 11 with the “greats” of the faith.

He spent his life defending his best friend, trying to honor a madman-father, and single-handedly taking out entire armies with rebuke as his only reward. He didn’t even die a noble death. He died in defeat and his body was disgraced by his enemies.

I guess my point is that great leadership isn’t always about being the head of the spear. It’s not always about being the one who stands head and shoulders above everyone else. It’s not about getting songs sung about you or having a viral reputation.

It’s about doing what needs to be done in order to achieve a greater goal. Sometimes this means taking charge, often it means giving your best opinion, but many times it simply means saying “I’ll do whatever you say, Captain.”

If God has called you to be a Jonathan, just remember that of the three, I think he was the better man.