"A new king who knew nothing of Joseph." With these simple words the story of the great suffering of the Jews in Egypt begins leading to the wonderful liberation story of the Exodus. When new people come into power or a position of authority and know nothing of the history of the position they inherit, disaster and chaos will, to a greater or lesser extent, almost certainly ensue. For a Christian a good principle to follow is: 'when one is in a position of authority, that is an opportunity to serve.

Jesus himself taught us: "anyone who wants to be first among you must be your servant" (cf. Mt 2024-28). Any Christian theology of leadership will insist on leadership as service. It will also teach the person who is newly entrusted with authority to look behind at the road which has brought the community to its present form, while at the same time looking carefully ahead to evaluate the consequences of decisions to be made. The new king who knew nothing of Joseph had no such wisdom or appreciation of history.