… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
Summary: Examining Christ’s humility and obedience opens a fascinating line of inquiry into our Lord’s personality and the world we live in.
Arrogance is the opposite of humility.
Another way of putting it is that arrogance is “self-centered,” while humility is not.
Self-centeredness is essentially self-worship. The “self” is the highest authority and the most important. We see this play out in many ways in the Bible.
In Genesis, we see the serpent appealing to Eve’s sense of self. “You [your ‘self’] will not …die,” he says. “[W]hen you eat [the forbidden fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you [your ‘self’] will be like God…” (Genesis 3:4-5)
After Adam and Eve were tossed out of the Garden of Eden, they had children. Right out of the gate, her oldest son, Cain, kills her younger child, Abel.
Why?
Because Abel served God, and Cain didn’t want to (Genesis 4:1-12). Cain’s “self” was more important than God or the life of his brother.
Ever since then, mankind has followed the same pattern. Those who humbled themselves before God and obeyed were very few.
Until there was Jesus.
There are many aspects to Jesus’ life that the Bible shares with us, but the overarching theme of Jesus’ life is his devotion to his Father.
He never puts himself first. Not even once.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t accused of putting himself first. (This is where the story gets confusing!)
To understand the humility of Jesus, we must also acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. If Jesus isn’t God, then none of this makes any sense. In fact, it flips the script entirely. If Jesus isn’t God, he has the biggest ego in the world because he claims to be God (John 10:30).
Everything depends on who he is.
The Pharisees in the Gospel stories mostly do not believe Jesus is God. A few do, for example, Nicodemus believes, but most do not. Consequently, they see Jesus as competition for their role as leaders of the people and the authority on God (John 5:18).
When Jesus is confronted with Jews who want to stone him, he asks them, “Why?” Their answer is revealing:
“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:33)
Jesus knew his life was threatened, but he continued to obey his Father anyway. He was literally becoming “obedient to death.”
Application: Obedience to God always requires death — at the very least, death of “self.”
Food for Thought: Why was Jesus willing to be so submissive to his Father?
Why was Jesus willing to be so submissive to his Father?
John 17 records a prayer of Jesus aptly titled as “The High Priestly Prayer of Christ.” I believe in reading it in it’s entirety gives us much insight and understanding into Christ: His mindset, His love for us, His mission, His understanding of the Father. I believe there is much to take in from Luke 17, but I will preference my answer with this one point. Jesus came from the Father, He both knew the Father and He was God incarnate. [v5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”] Jesus both knew what living in God’s Presence was like, He also then would have known what living without God’s Presence would be like. He came not only as our Savior, our advocate, but also as our ambassador. [v2b-3 “to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”]
John 17:1-5 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Jesus brought us the truth. The greatest message of God’s love for us. He did this so that we may be redeemed through Him back to the Father. Jesus was not a man “guessing” or “speculating” about the truth, and He did not receive the truth in revelation from God, He spoke the truth in authority, being God and having come from God. His absolute devotion (submission) to God was necessary to bring the pure, unadulterated truth to His Creation. The truth He brought was a living truth. In the living truth we are able to abide with Christ, and Christ in us, and through Christ, abide with God.
John 17:17-26 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Thank you, Chris!
” He spoke the truth in authority, being God and having come from God.”
Well said!
Thank you for the excellent devotion today. And interesting and good comments CH.
I think one reason Jesus was so obedient to the Father is He didn’t have the sin problem that I do. His very life was tied up in doing His Father’s will. He has His eyes on His Father rather than on Himself. He even said that His food, His sustenance was to do His Father’s will.
John 4: 34: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
We need to keep our eyes on Jesus like He kept His eyes on the Father. It is when all our attention is on ourselves that we get into trouble.
Thank you, Rich!
Keeping our eyes on Jesus is certainly an effective way to combat the devil’s temptations!
Why was Jesus willing to be so submissive to his Father?
Outstanding, very well expressed devotion Chris!
Yes, God humbled Himself, confined himself to a human body, ministered to all mankind in words and actions, and at the appointed time allowed His created beings to crucify Him on a cross.
Isaiah 53:5, But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.
Thanks, Ron!
I hear you pointing to Christ’s “stripes” — those wicked lacerations that ripped through his flesh during the flogging (John 19:1).
That was only a small part of the punishment he accepted in our place.