Servant Leadership and Social Interaction in Christian Education: An Exegetical Study of Matthew 20:26-28 at SMP Negeri 2 Kuala Pembuang

Abstract

This study explores the implementation of servant leadership as a biblical model of educational leadership and its influence on social interaction within a public junior high school context. Grounded in an exegetical analysis of Matthew 20:26-28, this research was conducted at SMP Negeri 2 Kuala Pembuang, where Christian students constitute a minority group of five learners with one Christian Religious Education (CRE) teacher. Employing a qualitative case study design, this research integrates a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with simple semi-structured interviews involving the CRE teacher and Christian students. The findings demonstrate that servant leadership, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 20:26-28, is meaningfully embodied in daily teaching practices through humility, relational care, sacrificial service, and non-authoritarian leadership. The CRE teacher’s leadership is characterized by patience, availability, empathy, and moral consistency, which significantly shape the quality of social interaction in the classroom. Students experience a learning environment marked by trust, emotional safety, mutual respect, and cooperative relationships. The study further reveals that in a pluralistic public school context, servant leadership functions not only as a pedagogical approach but also as a form of ethical and spiritual witness. Christ’s self-giving model of leadership emerges as the normative foundation for Christian educational practice. Pedagogically, servant leadership proves effective in fostering healthy social interaction and moral formation among students. This study contributes to the discourse on Christian educational leadership by affirming the transformative power of Christ-centered service in shaping relational and social life in schools.