There’s been off a lot of talk in my circles lately about “alpha males”. Richie Incognito of the Miami Dolphins was accused of being a bully but was also called by some a typical “alpha male”. Back in the olden days of the 60s rock ‘n roll the Alpha male was considered the “leader of the pack”. In fact the term really comes from Wolf packs and studies as to which Wolf is the alpha male. When the Missouri synod Council of Presidents met last week someone said that they couldn’t enter a room with that many “alpha males” inside. I wonder if our District Presidents consider themselves to be alpha males?Pres. Obama is supposed to be an alpha male. Pres. Kennedy was supposedly an alpha male and I might have to do some digging but I think some people called Bill Clinton and George Bush 42 alpha males.
Of course the first question I have to ask is were they or are they? Then in my weird and some would say twisted brain I actually asked another question and that is “was Jesus an alpha male”?
So I went to a social media site in which women answer the questions of what really is an alpha male. And according to a bunch of women that were surveyed the first criterion for being an alpha male is not to be concerned about your image.
So from the list of politicians above I would say that almost all of them miss out on the very first criteria. What about Jesus?
Criterion 2. Alpha males are respectful of other leaders, but they don’t kowtow to anyone. How do our politicians stack up? What about Jesus?
Criterion 3. An alpha males natural element is change. They don’t panic when surrounded by insecurity or difficulty. Think politicians. What about Jesus?
Criterion 4. they take responsibility for their actions and the actions of those who either help them, work for them, or want to do their bidding. Wow. Same questions.
Criterion 5. Alpha males never lie and they don’t betray anyone and they never bully anyone. Same questions.
So let’s forget about the politicians and the sports figures. My new rule is that if someone in the news media, social media, or a magazine says that someone is an alpha male I automatically believe they are not.
So what about Jesus? Was Jesus concerned about his image? Well we don’t know much about his image but we know that the Bible says about him that” he was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows”, and that there was no beauty or comeliness in him that we might notice him. He says of himself that he had no place to lay his head. He did not seek the adulation of the crowds in fact in many case he runs from it. Interestingly there is no Biblical New Testament attempt to even tell us a little bit about what he looked like. He had one suit of clothes that he mist have worn all the time because when he died that was all he had.
Did Jesus ever apologize when he was wrong. The problem with the question is as Christians we believe he was never wrong.
Did Jesus kowtow to leaders. Jesus was respectful to leaders even those who tried to kill him and eventually did. He was respectful to the leaders of the church and the government. He did say things like “do as they say but don’t do as they do” about the religious leaders, but he was respectful to them until they hurt “these little ones who believed” in him and then he got angry.
Did Jesus thrive, or at least hold his composure in the midst of stress, difficulty, or adversity? It would seem to me that anyone who could have nails driven into his hands and feet and yet ask God to forgive the ones who did that to him would have to be described as someone who held their composure.
Did Jesus take responsibility? On the night before he died in a prayer to his Father he claimed responsibilities for the ones that the Father had given to him. He claimed responsibility for all the trouble when the mob came to arrest him and told him to release the disciples. In fact we believe that he took responsibility for the sins of the whole world and paid the penalty for all of those sins and gave us the benefits.
He never lied and as near as I can tell the only time he bullied anyone was when he chased the money changers out of the temple. (See kowtowing to leaders).
In fact Jesus seems to be the definition of an alpha male.
So for all you politician wannabes, all you jocks and sports guys, and all you fellas that want to be alpha males I would refer you to Philippians chapter 2
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
