I’ve been thinking deeply on Oren Klaff’s frame theory, and have already come to the conclusion that a) Jesus won all of his frame-clash and b) Jesus expected his followers to mature to the place they could also win every frame clash.

What was Jesus’ secret?

If we check back on the first page of the Gospel of Mark, we can see that how Jesus was primed for social encounter. We can see clearly what Jesus thought of himself, his mission and his world.

Firstly, after Jesus’ baptism, there is a moment that was life-defining. Jesus was claimed by his dad:

Coming up out of the water, He immediately saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Mark 1, MEV

Think of it. A voice booming from the sky that everyone can hear, claiming Jesus as his son, and not just a son, but someone who is loved and favoured. Rumours would have abounded about Jesus’ legitimacy. Mary was his mother, but Joseph was his step-father. No wonder Jesus had confidence after this point: “Hey, what not worried. I had my Dad in the sky tell me that he thought I was awesome!”

Secondly, after this, Jesus was sent into the wilderness and had a physical and spiritual crisis that lasted nearly four weeks. Although Mark does not record details, Matthew and Luke’s gospel fill in the blanks. Jesus fasted for forty days and then came face-to-face with Satan, who was not a human. You can read it for yourself, but as I think about this encounter, I can see that this was another defining moment. Jesus identified his true enemy and understood his enemy’s true agenda. He also confronted his own vulnerabilities, and won that confrontation; he knew where his weaknesses were.

As a person who wants to be a leader, I find this event fertile ground. If you read it, you will see that Satan sets out to exploit Jesus’ three vulnerabilities. He tempts Jesus to 1. take a shortcut and use his own power to sate his own physical needs (“turn these stones to bread”) 2. take a shortcut and make his leadership all about him and his own pursuits (“throw yourself off this high building, and angels will catch you”) 3. take a shortcut with his own mission – to become ruler of the planet without doing the hard yards. (“bow down and worship me and I’ll give you the planet.”). I suspect that these three vulnerabilities are typical of any leader. The leader who falls at the first hurdle is the one who takes bribes and abuses power for personal gain. The leader who falls at the second hurdle is the one who is using leadership as a proxy for personal growth, and the position as therapy. This leader is not truly there to serve people but is in the position for their own ego needs. The leader who falls at the third hurdle is the one who has the goal in mind, but tries to bring it about through force, violence or coercion, or through compromising justice, and freedom.

For Jesus, there was massive benefit of knowing the identity of his true enemy. From this point on, when he had ‘frame clashes’ with people who were not Satan, he knew that THEY were not his enemy. Even when Jesus met hostile people, he knew they were actually in desperate need of rescue, rescue from the clutches of Satan. They needed his help. This means Jesus was never fighting with people, he was always fighting for them, not trying to cut them down, but to cut them free.

Finally, it’s clear from the first page of Mark that Jesus knew his message and was able to give it in a sound bite.

The time is fulfilled! Repent and believe the Gospel.

Mark 1 MEV

As a curious aside, Jesus claimed this message was not his own. He said he got it from his dad: “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” John 7:16.

To summarise, then, the position that Jesus went into when there was a frame clash:

• 1. Jesus has a strong sense of identity – he knew he was the son of God.
• 2. Jesus knew what he was shooting for in the encounter: He wanted his target to “repent and believe the gospel.”
• 3. Jesus knew that his target was not the enemy. He was there to rescue, not destroy them.
• 4. Jesus knew that the chronological forces had converged to make this the perfect moment. “The time is fulfilled!”

It’s an unassailable position, and it’s no wonder Jesus never lost.

It begs the question, then, what about me? As a Christian leader, can I apply the thinking of Jesus to my own framing?