In my last article I wrote about Jesus’s compassion. In this article I want to look at Jesus’ humility. The greatest example of Jesus’ humility is His obedience to obey God the Father in going to the cross to die a painful death to pay the price for our sins.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi; “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB)
Did you catch the first part of that Scripture passage? We are told to have the same attitude in ourselves which is in Christ Jesus. Meaning, we are called to be humble. As Christians, we are Jesus disciples, we are to follow His teachings. We are to become Christlike as we grow in our faith.
At the end of the Last Super, Jesus gives us another example of His great humility. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:2-5 NKJV)
Jesus the only begotten Son of God humbled himself and washed His disciples’ feet. Imagine your boss washing your feet, or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company washing the feet of their lowest paid employee. If you serve in a position of authority and you’re a Christian, you are called to be a servant-leader. We do that by showing love, compassion, and humility to those we oversee.
Throughout the Bible there are many passages directing us to humble ourselves. Proverbs, the book of wisdom has several verses on having a humble attitude. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2 ESV) “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 22:4 NASB) “Are riches, honor and life. “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.” (Proverbs 29:3 NKJV) “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4 NKJV)
When we learn to humble ourselves our walk with God will deepen. Our light will shine brighter. People will notice there is something different about you, people will watch you closer. That humble attitude is a great way to share the Gospel message without saying a word. James writes, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10 NKJV)
Pastor Timothy Hammond
Oak Street Baptist Church
