Give an example from Scripture of Jesus using adaptive leadership.

When Jesus tells the Women at the Well that he is the Messiah and she can drink from the water that is everlasting.

The example that Jesus gives in Luke 6 is that to be a good leader you must be a good person. This requires working to cultivate your own soul in order to successfully lead other souls.

The woman at the well.

When Nicodemus went to Jesus, Jesus immediately responded by making Nicodemus understood from the Scripture what second birth is all about. He continued to probe him in his own studies so that Nicodemus would connect the dot to what Jesus is teaching

Matthew 16:28-17:13 Jesus’ Transfiguration on the Mount
It was a sight to behold the disciples had never witnessed before. He prepared them the best their hearts and minds could perceive. In their fear, they fell to their faces. Jesus spoke, “Arise, do not be afraid.” (v7) and gave them instructions not to tell this vision to anyone until the time after His resurrection. They knew they had an enormity of responsibility ahead of them, and in their shock and awe, I believe the Holiness in which Jesus spoke and instructed offered them leadership guidance to adapt to these inundating changes. His position as our leader, then, now, and for all eternity is summed up in my heart from His answer to the high priest in John 18:21 when asked about His doctrine. With Jesus’ reply of a question to a question with, “Why do you ask Me [this]?’ He went right into a directive response by saying, “Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them.” and my favorite part of this verse is when Jesus says of them and of us today, “Indeed they know what I said.” Powerful direction of adapting to all that we have yet to perceive but know, beyond all questions, He is in control and working all things for His glory. ( NKJV -Nelson Publishers)

Matthew 28:19-20

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15. Her daughter was possessed by Satan and Jesus rewarded her faith. She came and worshipped Jesus on her own. She had to do it and was rewarded for her faith. Her daughter was healed.

There are so many. Jesus used parables to teach so that those around him had to use their own understanding and application. He didn’t;t all them what to go and do in so many words as an authoritative leader, he shared stories and then they had to think for themselves and adapt their understanding and decisions accordingly.

Jesus and the woman at the wall when he says “Go call your husband” and their ensuing dialogue

Rich young ruler

The rich young ruler selling all his stuff.

Jesus and Nicodemus.

When Jesus feeds the 5000 in Matthew 14, he asks the disciples to bring what they have. Even though they clearly couldn’t have provided enough food for the crowd, they were still asked to contribute and follow Jesus’ adaptive leadership.

With the rich young man

I would suggest the feeding of the 5000. “And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ And they said to him, ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’ And when they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied.” (Mark 6:35-42)

One example I think of is the woman at the Well. I think there is something adaptive to the way that Jesus steered the conversation with her, without just simply forcing his lesson and principle into her.

He adapted to those who had disabilities – those who were blind, deaf, and had mental illness.

When Jesus asks the blind man, ” what do you want me to do for you?”

The parables because they had to read between the lines to figure out exactly what the lesson was instead of Him spoon feeding them the lesson.

The Rich Young Ruler.

The Good Samaratin! Jesus asked more questions to lead people to discover the answer. His application in this parable was, “Go and do likewise!”

Use of parable to teach people on different levels and abilities

The men with the talents and how they expanded (or didn’t expand) them

The Rich Young Ruler

When he asked the people who wanted to stone someone if they too have sinned they were forced to reconsider what they wanted to do to that person and they all left. He just asked a good question that forced others to think.

he used parables. Like the parable of the talents. They had to think and come to their own understanding

Just about every parable was something that made His listeners think without spoon feeding the answers. The spreading of seed is the one that I thought of initially.