I'm not so sure that he was even trying to make a point.
I think he's finally accepted that he's back in a community, and that he needs to be part of it, not necessarily the leader of it by force.
What was it he said right before Pete attacked?
"I'll teach you."
You don't need to be the absolute leader of the group to be the teacher. Sometimes it works out better if you're not.
Thinking about it some more, Rick willfully killing Pete, even though Pete's value to the community is beyond measure as a doctor, is Rick showing them that they have to be hard to survive. It's his first lesson. They might have exiled Pete in the past, but it's beyond that.