17. The Humility of Christ
“He Humbled Himself.”
The Humility of Christ
IN THE WORDS “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), Jesus gave us a glimpse into His inmost heart. It is striking that most of the graces of the Spirit seen in His life were negative and passive. If pride is the greatest and essential sin, then humility is the supreme virtue; and if humility was the distinguishing feature of the Master, then it must characterize the disciple, for “the servant is not greater than his lord” (John 13:16).
Had Jesus never spoken a word about humility, His daily life and circumstances would have been a constant unspoken rebuke to the pride and self-exaltation of the men and women with whom He associated. He was not only a standing rebuke to pride, but a living example of humility.
In his Modern Painters, John Ruskin writes, “I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his own opinions; but a right understanding of the relation between what he can do, and the rest of the world’s sayings and doings. All great men not only know their business, but usually know that they know it, and are not only right in their main opinions, but they usually know that they are right in them, only they do not think much of themselves on that account. Arnolfo knows that he can build a great dome at Florence; Albert Durer writes calmly to one who has found fault with his work, ‘It cannot be done better’; Sir Isaac Newton knows that he has worked out a problem or two that would have puzzled anyone else; only they do not expect their fellow-men therefore to fall down and worship them.”
A Despised Grace
The works of the great philosophers of past days will be searched in vain for the exaltation of humility as a virtue. In vain will their lives, too, be examined for evidence of true Christian humility. Rather is the reverse the case. There is no word in either Greek or Latin that expresses the Christian idea of humility. The word “lowly,” which Jesus appropriated to Himself, is employed by ethical philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Xenophon in the sense of “pusillanimous.” Even Josephus, the Hebrew historian and moralist, invested the word with a similar meaning. “Humility is a vice with the heathen moralists,” said J. B. Lightfoot.
Not until Jesus came with His peerless life and matchless teaching was humility elevated to the level of a primary virtue. Humility as a grace is the creation of Christianity. Since the Greeks used the word generally as signifying base or mean-spirited, it is readily understood that our Lord’s pronouncements on the subject introduced His disciples to a startlingly new and revolutionary scale of values. “He that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). “He that is least among you all, the same shall be great” (Luke 9:48). It was a difficult lesson for them to master, that humility was to be desired, not despised.
‘Tis like frail men to love to walk on high,
But to be lowly is to be like God.AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Meekness plus lowliness constitutes humility. Meekness is humility in relation to God. Lowliness is humility in relation to man. It is possible to be meek and not lowly. Jesus was just as meek toward God as He was lowly before man.
In common usage, meekness is almost synonymous with weakness, or inferiority complex, and is usually attributed to those who are negative or insignificant. Yet has our divine Lord not crowned this modest grace queen of virtues? Otto Borchert contrasts the genuine humility of the Lord, which manifested itself in the utter absence of any striving after effect or originality, with Mohammed, who was always sensitive to his personal appearance. The vanity of Buddha peeps through the rags of his beggar’s cloak. But Jesus moved about in the unaffected guise of ordinary folk. “He humbled Himself.”
This other-worldly humility that was “an effluence and an ally of His love,” was seen most clearly in His giving up the outward manifestation of His deity and taking His place in humanity, and then giving up even His place in humanity! This was humility indeed.
Think of His attitude toward worldly position: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). Toward earthly riches: “For your sakes he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Toward service: “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). Toward suffering: “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished” (Luke 12:50).
The completeness with which Jesus laid aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes and subordinated Himself to His Father is seen in the following passages: “I seek not mine own will” (John 5:30). “I seek not mine own glory” (John 8:50). “My doctrine is not mine” (John 7:16). “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19). “I am not come of myself” (John 7:28). “The word which ye hear is not mine” (John 14:24). “I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28). Christ was willing to be nothing, in order that His Father might be all.
Jesus’ humility was so absolute that His Father was able to achieve His whole will through Him. Because He so humbled Himself, “God also hath highly exalted him” (Philippians 2:9). Because His humility was the expression of His innermost attitude and not a temporary pose, He unostentatiously donned the slave’s apron, and moved in and out among men as the servant of all. He drew attention to neither His achievements nor His humility.
Nowhere was His humility more strikingly displayed than in the way in which He bore insult and injury. During His brief years of ministry almost every form of trial assailed Him. A dozen times plots were laid against His life. What would be the attitude of a modern dictator to a would-be assassin? They said He was demon-possessed. They said He was mad. They slandered Him as a glutton and a drunkard. They impugned His motives and cast aspersions on His character. But all those combined failed to elicit one drop of bitterness or draw forth one word of complaint or self-justification from His lips. He was “as a sheep before her shearers … dumb” (Isaiah 53:7).
He Took a Towel
There are only two places in Scripture where it is explicitly stated that our Lord left us an example, and one of them was an example of unparalleled humility.
The disciples had gone to a room where the Last Supper had been prepared. On the way, the ambitious disciples had been quarreling over who should be the greatest and who would have precedence in Christ’s kingdom. When they entered the room, there was apparently no slave to perform the customary washing of the feet of the guests. The disciples probably took turns when there was no slave, but on this occasion none would condescend to do the menial task. Their minds were full of the subject of their bitter contention, and none was willing to be servant of all. Each feigned unconsciousness of the neglected duty.
When Jesus entered, He found them seated in sulky silence, and supper must have been a gloomy meal. The scene that followed is described in moving words: “And supper being ended … Jesus knowing … that he was come from God, and went to God; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself … and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and wipe them with the towel” (John 13:2–5).
The quality of this act of humility is heightened by the fact that Jesus performed it while vividly conscious of His divine origin and nature. He knew that He came from God’s presence. None of the disciples would confess himself inferior to another, but when the divine Lord remembered who He was, He rose up and performed the lowliest of tasks. And it was no act of ostentation; He did it just because He liked to do this for His disciples. On the other hand we should not overlook the fact that when people fell in worship at His feet, Jesus did not bid them stand up. He accepted their worship as His due (Luke 7:38).
Jesus’ Teaching on Humility
A selection of Scripture passages will reveal the high place our Lord accorded to this grace.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3).
“Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5).
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest” (Matthew 18:4).
“He that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
“He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger;
and he that is chief, as he that doth serve” (Luke 22:26).
“I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27).
“Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
“He that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
(Luke 9:48).To read these passages thoughtfully is to be convicted of our own lack of humility. Our pride stands abashed in the presence of His utter humility. One fact stands out crystal clear—God’s way up is down.
Andrew Murray indicates the way in which our Lord’s humility may become ours: “It is only by the indwelling of Christ in His divine humility that we become truly humble. We have our pride from another, from Adam; we must have our humility from Another too. Pride is ours, and rules us with such terrible power, because it is ourself, our very nature. Humility must be ours in the same way; it must be in our very self, our very nature. The promise is, ‘where,’ even in the heart, ‘sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly.’”
Wouldst thou the holy hill ascend
And see the Father’s face?
To all His children lowly bend
And seek the lowest place.
Thus humbly doing on the earth
What things the earthly scorn,
Thou shalt assert the lofty birth
Of all the lowly born.GEORGE MAC DONALD
Behold the beauties of His face,
And on His glories dwell;
Think of the wonders of His grace,
And all His triumphs tell.
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Saviour’s brow;
His head with radiant glories crowned,
His lips with grace o’erflow.S. STENNETT