Mark 10:42
Mark 10:4242So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.
The Watchtower applies only to secular governments and worldly religious leaders, not to its own organisational hierarchy. The "rulers of the nations" who lord it over their subjects are read as Satan's worldly kingdom; by contrast, the Governing Body and elder body of Jehovah's Witnesses are presented as humble brothers giving direction rather than exercising authority. The verse functions in JW publications as external critique, never internal mirror.
Hold the verse up as the test Jesus himself prescribed for leadership in his name. The Governing Body has eleven men (October 2024) determining what 8 million Witnesses believe, who they may speak to, whether they may receive blood transfusions, how they may spend their weekends, and whether they remain in fellowship with their families. If publicly disagreeing with the Body's teaching brings a judicial committee and potential shunning, that is "lording it over" whatever euphemism is preferred. Pair with ("not lording it over those entrusted to you") and Acts 15 (the Jerusalem council as a one-time meeting, not a standing governing body) to show what New Testament leadership looks like when it follows Jesus's pattern. The "fellow servants giving direction" framing is doublespeak — if the structure functions as leadership and carries the consequences of leadership, calling it something else does not change what it is.
The NWT renders Jesus's opening clause "those who appear to be ruling the nations" rather than the standard "those who are considered rulers" or "those regarded as rulers" (hoi dokountes archein). Both renderings are lexically defensible — dokeō can mean "to seem" or "to be reputed" — but the NWT's choice sharpens the skepticism, fitting the JW worldview in which worldly governments are seen as Satan's apparent (but illegitimate) rule about to be replaced by Jehovah's true Kingdom. The shift is mild but consistently tendentious in the direction of JW political theology.