–– Andrew Zekveld

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A proverb that has been attributed to the people of Tanzania observes how “the humble pay for the mistakes of their leaders.” This simple observation of life is indeed the downfall of much in our beloved Africa. When leaders fall, it is always the humble followers who get crushed.

Yet, it seems that very little can convince the humble followers of fallen leaders to stop following their discredited heroes.

Ousted from the South African presidency in 2018 because of corruption, Jacob Zuma regained great political fame this past December in his announcement of forming a new political party—this all amidst his corruption trial! 

So also spiritual leader Shepherd Bushiri from Malawi, while awaiting extradition orders in Malawi for financial crimes committed in South Africa, enjoyed a renewed following in his recent 2023/2024 Crossover event.

Many more stories like these can be told, and they demonstrate that the price that the humble pay for the mistakes of these leaders can be very high indeed.

We need clarity for the followers of the fallen.

Defining the Fallen

When I say The Fallen, there is one very particular criterion that I have in mind. I do not mean the Fallen in the general sense of every human person being guilty of sin since the Great Fall of mankind recorded in Genesis 3, for then we would all be the Fallen. I also do not mean those who fall short of some arbitrary or personal standard of perfection.

Instead, when I refer to the Fallen, I mean the influential men and women who have, in rather public ways, demonstrated that they persist in behaviour that is clearly sinful and has even been recognised as such by the legal systems of our world. The Fallen, therefore, are those who have been publicly disqualified for leadership influence on others based on behaviour that is clearly ungodly.

Defining the Followers

The Followers of the Fallen are therefore the crowds of individuals who flock after these men and women, believe their teachings, attend their events, and contribute to their agendas. These followers might include some of the wealthy and influential individuals in business, society, and politics, but for the most part, the masses following the fallen consist of the poor, afflicted, struggling, and disadvantaged.

It is truly, heartbreakingly so, “the humble who pay for the mistakes of their leaders.” But, even more frustrating, is the reality that such followers of the fallen are often the most ardent defenders of such leaders. For the sake of the many suffering followers, we must clarify the expectations that the Bible has for fallen leaders.

Defining Repentance

The Biblical expectation that followers of the fallen should have for their fallen leaders is summed up in the word repentance—not merely some form of a half-hearted PR statement, or some theatrical on-stage apology, or some consequence-evading schemes, but true, God-defined repentance.

Biblical repentance should be, as one pastor said, “the well-travelled path of every Christian“.

Unfortunately, though, repentance is perhaps the most obscured truly Christian practice of modern Christianity.

What then is repentance?

In short, repentance involves six distinct stages.

First, the Sin stage—you do what God has clearly forbidden, or fail to do what God has clearly required (Romans 3:23).

Second, the Guilt stage—whether or not you sense it, you incur guilt as an immediate result of your sin (Romans 6:23).

Third, the Remorse stage—remorse is the feeling of distress because of a sense of guilt (2 Corinthians 7:9).

Fourth, the Confession stage—confession is the acknowledgement of both the sinfulness of the deed and the fairness of full punishment for the sin (Psalm 32:5).

Fifth, the Forgiveness stage—asking for, and receiving, forgiveness from God and others based on the confession (Psalm 51:1).

The sixth and last distinct stage of true repentance is Obedience—doing the next righteous thing in light of the sinful deed and then replacing the sinful deed with its righteous counterpart (Isaiah 1:16-17).

When the followers of the fallen expect such repentance from their leaders, they will instantly discern the nature of that leader’s character and the worth of that leader’s influence on them. 

May the humble no longer pay for the mistakes of their leaders.