Sometimes on TV, they will interview a well known celebrity or sports star that has achieved great success, and the interviewer will comment how wonderful it is that this person who has done so much and is so famous, could also be humble at the same time. On the other hand, though, we have an amazing tolerance for people who are prideful, self- centered, demanding…anything but humble. As long as you’re a winner, if you’re really great in what you do, if
you’re the best in your field, well put up with pride, arrogance and an attitude of entitlemen t. You can be totally self-centered as long as you’re a winner. If you’re really good at something we’ll put up with it because even though we like humility, we believe it’s optional. What’s important is winning. What’s important is being the gre atest. But when somebody loses do we value their humility? No, we think, they ought to be humble; they’re losers.
This is the culture that we as Christian live in, and being exposed to all of these different influences and images of what life is all about, sometimes clouds our understanding of what humility is. So what is true humility? Simply said, it means being of low estate. It means seeing others as higher than our
self. The word (tapeinoo) literally means “to level a mountain or a hill.” One of the chief characteristics of Jesus’ life is humility. In fact, from birth to death His life was the epitome of humility. Phil 2:5-8 says,”your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” God the Son humbled himself, lay aside the splendor of His glory, and took upon himself the frailty of human flesh. The One
who is eternal, the creator and giver of all life, subjected Himself to death, and not just any death, but the shameful and torturous death of a condemned criminal. In verse 5, Paul says we are to have the same attitude as Christ
Jesus. If we are to be like Jesus, our life must be characterized by humility. Humble people are not filled up with the hot air of arrogance, they are not lifted up in pride. They do not elevate themselves above others, they see everyone as on level ground, themselves included. They are not clamoring to climb the ladder of success to attain position and title. Jesus told the Jews that when invited to special dinners, they should take the seats that are for the least important people (Luke 14:7-11). And he rebuked his disciples who were competing for positions in His kingdom wanting to sit on his right hand and on his left (Mark 10:35-45). Jesus plainly declared that the prideful, self-seeking
attitude of the world, that lifts self up above others, has no place in His Kingdom. Humility is the key to life in His Kingdom, it is the key to living under His Lordship.
So today, we want to consider what true humility is, because if we truly want to be like Jesus, then we must pattern our life after the one who said “Take my yoke upon you and learn from my example, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt 11:29).
In Matt 9:9 Jesus illustrates the essence of humility: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” This
one act shows that humility equalizes, it does not despise or reject others because of who they are or what they do. Jesus chose a tax collector as one of his disciples. We all dislike the IRS, because we don’t like anybody else’s
hands in our pockets. But we cannot even begin to imagine the significance of what Jesus did that day. Tax collectors were one of the most hated class of people among the Jews. The Jewish people saw them as traitors who were working for the enemy–the Roman government. They were notorious for overtaxing the people to keep as much money for themselves as they could. They were hated not only as traitors, but as robbers and extortionists. Matthew had gotten rich off of the back of his own people – he was wealthy and powerful, but he was hated
and despised. Rejected by the Jewish community, he probably had some friends, but they would have been people who were just as despised and vilified as he was…pagans, drunkards, prostitutes…others who had been excommunicated by the Jews.
This is the kind of man that Matthew was, so it would have been a shock to the Jews that Jesus would choose him as one of his disciples. And for Matt to leave everything so readily, it is obvious that despite his material success, he was empty inside, and this made him open to Jesus. But why would Jesus chose such a hated and disreputable man as his follower? Wouldn’t it just stir up unnecessary controversy? However, when you consider the minister of Jesus more closely, you find that this was a pattern with Jesus. Most of the people whose lives Jesus touched were
outcasts of one kind or another.
• He touched a leper and healed him, the most shunned of social outcasts.
• He healed the servant of a Roman centurion, one of Israel’s hatred oppressors.
• He spared a woman caught in adultery who was about to be stoned.
• He cast out seven demons from a woman, of whom tradition sometimes identify as a prostitute, and she became one of his closest followers and supporters of his ministry.
• He spoke to a Samaritan woman by Jacobs well, who had been married five times
and was even now living with a man.
• He delivered a demon possessed man of legion, the man testified everywhere about Jesus.
• He healed a blind beggar by the roadside, and a crippled beggar by the pool of Bethesda.
• Again and again, He reached out the lowest of the low, the broken, the despised, the rejected, the poor, the outcasts, enemies, sinners, traitors, crooks, and the list goes on.
• More than 60% of the people Jesus touched, ate with, and chose as His closest followers, most of us would probably have nothing to do with.
How could the One who sits upon the throne of the universe, be so comfortable among the lowest of the low? What is it that caused Him to reach out to such people, to love them, to eat with them, to talk to them, to treat them as equals? It was his humility!!!
Humility extends itself on behalf of others, even those unlike ourselves. Matthew 9:10 says “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.” As a new follower of Jesus, Matthew threw a party and invited all of his friends, people like himself. People that would commonly be called “the dregs of society.” But that didn’t stop Jesus from attending: so what if they were pagans, drunkards, criminals, prostitutes, tax collectors on the guest list. Those were the very people that He had come to save. The religious leaders were infuriated and asked his disciples “What is your master doing eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” How could a so-called rabbi, or religious teacher rub shoulders with such
people. Jesus heard the commotion and he answered them “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13But go ye and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (V 12-13). They were suppose to be spiritual leaders, and yet had no understanding of God’s purpose in the world. These are the very people God sent Jesus to save. Would we feel comfortable in such a setting, among such people? If not, why not? That is a probing question that we must all
ask ourselves, and the answer is quite telling. It will reveal to us whether or not we have the humility of Jesus or if there is hidden our heart the prideful attitude of our culture, or the prideful attitude of self-righteousness.
Lord, help us to be more like you!
Please fell free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts and responses.
are genetically predisposed to do so. Not surprisingly, out of the darkened hearts of mankind devoid of the knowledge of God, their vain reasoning (Rom 1:21) endeavors to call alcoholism a disease, and all kinds of sexual activity, which is outside of the boundaries of marriage as prescribed in Scripture (a monogamous committed relationship between a man and a woman), is being called a genetic predisposition. Conveniently, men and women can say I was born this way, and it alleviates them of any personal responsibility for their behavior, and it appeases their conscience from guilt. These very things that are called diseases or genetic dispositions by man, are called sin by God. God could not call something “sin,” unless it involved personal choice.
