Jesus in the helpless form of a baby entered a world filled with a me-first mentality so that we might become more transparently humble.
Christmas is all about a baby—Jesus born in a manger. God will disclose in his Word this wonderful gift given to us in his Son during this Advent season. The Father’s Gift of Love is a message series that unfolds the gift of God’s Son in four dimensions: the gift of humility, the gift of happiness, the gift of hope, and the gift of heaven. Some people today search for each of these gifts, but each of us has an empty void that only the Father can fill. After all, God made us that way. May The Father’s Gift of Love lead as to true humility, happiness, hope, and heaven—Jesus Christ!
The Advent season is a time of preparation as we celebrate the anniversary of a cosmic event. It’s an event which concerns, not power, but humility. This event carried no clout at the time; aside from a few shepherds, no one paid any attention at all to the birth of Jesus 2,000 years ago. “Powerful” certainly isn’t an adjective one would have used to describe either the baby or his parents. They had so little influence they couldn’t even secure a hotel room, not even with Mary being nine months pregnant. And so they slept in the barn with the livestock. They had so little money that when the time came for Mary to make an offering at the temple for her newborn son, they couldn’t afford the usual sacrifice of a lamb, and could only offer a couple of pigeons.
Let’s look at the account as written for us in Luke 2:1-7…
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
These verses acquaint us with the opening account of the Christmas story. Now the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 85 miles. It’s tough for us to imagine an 85-mile journey, walking and riding on the back of a donkey. It’s especially difficult when we appreciate the pain and discomfort of making that trip nine months pregnant. But Mary knew that this was God’s plan, and she knew that it was God’s timing in order to deliver God’s indescribable gift. Luke’s account also helps us consider the Father’s gift of humility. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world is a model of radical humility. This radical humility can be an example for us as Jesus-followers. This is especially important for us today, because we live in an age when humility isn’t respected. Instead, it’s held in contempt. Anyone who tries to exercise humility is scorned as a weakling or a fool.
The role models of our society are not the humble, but the selfishly ambitious, the proud, the arrogant. The people that our society looks up to – sports heroes, actors and actresses, singers, entertainers – they all tend to have one thing in common: a very high regard for themselves, and a great talent for self-promotion. Sometimes it seems that every time we turn on the television or open a newspaper, all we see and hear is “Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!” The one exception is politicians. Not that they’re especially humble, but at least they know it doesn’t look good for them to be constantly talking about themselves, so they hire press secretaries to do it for them. They even hire assistants to find all the dirt on their opponents so they can talk about their shortfalls.
We’re getting close to the NFL playoffs which lead to the hype of another Super Bowl game. Now when I was a kid, a pro football player would just run off the field after making a touchdown, or maybe spike the ball. Today, we have a moment of arms raised with index fingers pointed to the sky, ten minutes of high fives, and moonwalks, and break dancing, and chest bumps, and jumping around, and taunting the other team – just an orgy of self-congratulation. We can’t really blame those men much. They’re just doing what their culture has taught them to do. But Christ points us in a different direction.
Humility =
An attitude of dependence as Jesus-followers
recognize that all we possess in life is a gift of God.
Humility expresses a genuine dependency on God and others. Humility recognizes that we live the Christian life in the same manner we become a Jesus-follower—by the grace of God which is a free gift. God extends his grace to the humble person, but God resists the proud as affirmed in James 4:6. Humility is an attitude of the heart. When God see humility, he sees someone with whom he can entrust his grace. God responds to the humble. Humility rests in the attention of God.
So with this understanding of humility, what do we expect to get at Christmas time this year? What do we expect to give at Christmas time this year? The best gift of all is Jesus. Paul tried to put into words that feeling when he said in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” Often times we’re attracted by things that glitter. That’s what stands out when we look at the Christmas presents. So much so, we often overlook that which is meek, yet majestic. It’s important for us to remember that the first Christmas gift came wrapped quite simply in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.
We may recall when Jimmy Carter was President, on one occasion he spent the night at an Iowa farmhouse with a farmer and his family. It made headlines to think that the most influential person in America would visit an ordinary farm family and would stay there for one night. That was rather dramatic and the media had a heyday with it. But, that was nothing compared to the fact that God came to this earth to a peasant people, and spent his first night on earth in an obscure village. Most kings are on a throne in a palace, but not that first Christmas. Jesus was born in a barn and he ruled from an animal’s feeding trough.
James Lane expressed the incarnation of Christ in rather unique language when he said, “Jesus took off his scarlet robe and he hung it up in the wardrobe of eternity. He bought a ticket at the depot of time. He rode the train down forty-two generations and disembarked at Bethlehem. He cried like a baby; healed people like a doctor, fed people like a supermarket, spoke like an orator, and died like a mighty God. He was God in the flesh.”
The name Emmanuel is a Hebrew name, which literally means “God with us.” It’s a promise of incarnate deity. We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Jesus. And yet, the greater miracle is the fact that Jesus is God at the same time.
Let’s look at another passage which relates closely to Jesus’ birth in Philippians 2:5-8…
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Even though its years later, it’s tough for us to look at a wooden manger without looking ahead to see a wooden cross because that’s why Jesus came in the first place. Jesus came to bear the cross. Not only did he enter this life in humility, but he lived, died, and arose with humility. Got Humility?
Humility is slippery. We don’t really know how slippery until we try to be humble. The tighter we squeeze, the more it slips out of our grasp.
There is the example of the college student who liked to introduce himself in the following way: “Hi, I’m Donnie. I used to be stuck-up and really vain, full of pride and arrogance, but now I’m a really modest fellow that everybody likes and I know you will too.” The big grin on his face made it clear that he knew how silly that was. Nonetheless it points up the dilemma of trying to be humble: humility is best when it is not part of conscious awareness and striving; yet if we are not conscious of our motives and our striving, pride easily insinuates itself.
The best way to become humble is not to try to be humble at all, but to find the most humble person we know and just try to be like him or her, in every way. So we look to Jesus as the example of the Father’s gift of humility.
1. Humility means we let go of our position to exemplify the submissive mind of Jesus
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.
We consider the humility of the incarnation itself, the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, taking on humanity with all of its limitations, with all of its pain and sorrow and suffering. Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 8:9… “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” What does that mean, “he became poor”? It means that Jesus gave up his honor and glory, he let go of his position, and he relinquished all of the riches of heaven, in order to become one of us, in order to save us from our sins. He gave up that glory in order to become a human baby. Not even an adult. That would be humility enough, to give up the glory of heaven to take on human flesh. But instead he became a helpless little infant.
But let’s think about it: the baby Jesus, completely at the mercy of Mary and Joseph. Unable to feed himself, unable to move about, to communicate. Unable to do anything except eat and sleep and dirty his diaper. And here’s the irony of it all. He is dependent upon the man and woman he made to now take care of him. If they had only known who he really was, Mary and Joseph would have bowed down and worshipped him, just like the shepherds. But instead, Jesus had to rely on them. Those hands which had formed galaxies and set the stars in place, those hands that had spun the earth on its axis, now just waving around, ineffectually. The mouth that had spoken the universe into existence, now just babbling and cooing. The sovereign Lord of creation, had now become the very picture of weakness and powerlessness and inability – a little baby. Not even a royal baby, not the son of a king; not a wealthy baby, the son of money and privilege. But instead, a peasant child born to poverty and want, raised in very humble circumstances. Surrounded not by God’s holy angels and the glory of heaven, but instead surrounded by sinful, fallen human beings and a stinking, dirty barn.
Let’s think about it: when people are struck with a serious illness, something progressively debilitating, so that they know over time they’re going to become less and less able to care for themselves. One of the things they fear most is losing control. Becoming dependent on someone else, at first needing someone to drive them places and perhaps prepare meals for them, and then eventually having to rely on other people for the basic necessities of life – to dress them, and feed them, and bathe them. Yet Jesus voluntarily took on this kind of complete helplessness, the kind that we fear so much.
Here’s a question for us: Have we ever had to submit to someone in authority whom we were convinced was our inferior? Parents who didn’t understand? A supervisor at work who had obviously been promoted beyond his ability; a police officer or judge who seemed extremely incompetent; a spouse whose ignorance was matched only by stubbornness? Then we take heart from Christ’s example. Everyone he came into contact with truly was his inferior, including his own parents. Yet he never grumbled or complained, he never rebelled. Instead, he humbled himself and willingly yielded to their authority over him. He respected their authority, not because they necessarily deserved his respect. But because it was the right thing to do, because God the Father had placed him in a position of subjection to them. If Jesus could do it, then so can we. By his power, we can show respect and honor to those in authority over us, even when they don’t deserve it, even when we’re convinced they’re wrong.
But Christ’s humility didn’t end with his birth or his childhood. It continued throughout his life. Just as Jesus humbled himself by becoming a helpless human infant, just as he humbled himself by honoring and obeying his parents, and ultimately, as he humbled himself by dying on the cross for our sins; so we are to humble ourselves in our relationships with one another. Humility means we let go of our position.
2. Humility means we let go of our privilege to embody the servant nature of Jesus
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Second, humility means we willingly giving up our ‘rights’ in order to serve others as Jesus gave up his rights; not grudgingly, but thankfully. The re-enactment of the life of Jesus, in every detail, is the living song of respect and adoration to the servant King. That means not only reliving the external life of sacrifice and self-denial but also the hidden, perhaps more unique, inner life of humility and preference for others.
What is most incredible about the meekness of a manger and the majesty of the cross is not that a man would willingly be born and give his life for a cause, or even for a person, but that Jesus, in the fullness of deity, knew that his life was to be a ransom for those who despised him. It is the motive that has not and will not be matched in all of human history.
It means that we consider it a benefit to give up our time, and resources, and energy for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It means that instead of walking around expecting everyone else to serve us, as if we deserved to be catered to, as if we had a right to have our needs met; instead we treat others as if they deserved to have us serve them. It means that we consider their needs and interests to be as important and urgent as ours, even more so. Humility is not condescension, reaching down to serve someone inferior to us. Humility is recognizing that, before God, we are all of equal worth. Therefore, serving one another isn’t just a duty or an obligation. It’s a great honor. It’s an honor to serve God’s people with the resources and abilities he gave us.
During the winter of 2003, Senate Majority Leader Bill First paused from his busy schedule to help five victims of an SUV crash. The surprising thing about his act of kindness wasn’t that he stopped to render aid, especially since Senator First is a medical doctor; the surprising thing is the way he did it. He helped and then moved on without trying to make any political hay out of his Good Samaritan act. Florida’s Broward County Fire Rescue Captain Ken Kronheim said, “He sneaked out before he could get any thanks or glory — a true hero.”
This illustration compels us to insert one note here: there’s a difference between serving out of duty and obligation, and serving out of love and humility. If we’re just serving out of duty, we’re serving our convenience. We make ourselves available according to our schedule. But if we’re serving out of humility, we serve at the other person’s convenience, according to their need. Humility means we let go of our privilege.
3. Humility means we let go of our pride to exalt the superlative sacrifice of Jesus
8 And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
The third point, then, is no matter what Jesus possessed, it didn’t induce him to a prideful spirit. The more Christ possessed the more he was tempted to be proud. But it’s not just quantitative possession; it is qualitative possession that inclines to pride. Jesus’ highest possession was his divine nature. In the midst of that holiness, he was able to empty himself and become obedient to his Father. And the highest possession we can have is holiness before God. Dear God, how can we stay humble and grow in holiness? This was the greatest temptation of Jesus. We don’t possess the close union with God that Jesus enjoyed with his Father without being tempted by pride.
Humility means recognizing that all of our gifts and abilities—quantitative and qualitative—come from God. So our abilities or achievements are no reason to puff ourselves up or act as if we somehow deserved to be honored and praised for them. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:7…“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
Pride is at the bottom of a great many errors and corruptions, and even of many evil practices, which have a great show and appearance of humility. –Matthew Henry
Humility was the inward character of Christ, expressed in outward acts of sacrifice and self-denial; not self-absorption and pride. Human beings have never had a problem imitating sacrifice. The challenge, of course, is to keep from exalting ourselves in the experience. False humility longs to be seen. Once we recognize the wonder and glory of the humility of Jesus, we can label it a virtue, a characteristic to be achieved and added to one’s repertoire, and it then becomes yet another potential source of pride for us—which not only undermines the process of attaining it, but also destroys what little humility we might have. This is what makes humility so elusive.
A young college graduate joined a small Japanese company as a clerk in the 1960s. The young clerk would often contact company headquarters pointing out problem areas within the organization and offering his suggestions for correcting them. For ten years, the young clerk’s ideas seemed to go unnoticed. One day as he was leaving work, an executive from corporate headquarters stopped the clerk. He was taken to the president’s office—a place he had never been before. In the meeting the man learned the company was about to implement one of his ideas. The president expected this idea would keep an entire division from filing bankruptcy. A few months later, the clerk’s suggestion did keep the division solvent. The young man eventually became chairman of the firm that once ignored his observations. His leadership changed the entire company. Today, individuals who challenge the status quo are encouraged, and sometimes celebrated. The company is Canon—a multi-billion dollar producer of cameras, copy machines, printers, and fax machines. We never know how God wants to use us.
So we cannot boast in ourselves. However, whatever our gifts and abilities we possess, we rejoice in them! They are gifts from God! We give God the praise and glory! But, we might be tempted to say, “I worked hard to develop these skills. I worked my way through college. I practiced the piano for hours a day. Or I studied Greek and Hebrew grammar for three years.” True enough. But who decided that we would be born in a country, where we would have the opportunities we had? Who gave us the capacity to reason? Who decided we would have the good health and financial resources to develop those skills? The answer is obvious. God did. Even if we worked hard to get where we are today, we were only taking the raw materials that God gave us, and applying the strength and intelligence God gave us, to get there. Humility means we let go of our pride.
Respond to the Gift
Let’s carefully watch for opportunities during these days of Advent to receive the Father’s gift of humility. Here are a few suggestions:
We focus in our family on what we can do for others, rather than ourselves. As a family, we adopt somebody—say, an elderly homebound or a lonely college student—for the holidays. We invite someone extra to share in the festivities of our home.
We bow down and serve the members of our own family in tangible ways this Christmas. This means more than volunteering to dry the dishes after the big meal, although that might be a good place to start.
We do something for someone else in our church that is really going to cost us in terms of time, involvement, and money. The possibilities are endless—we use our imagination within the body of Christ to lift up Jesus this Christmas!
Meekness and Majesty
The gift of humility emerges when a wooden manger mingles with a wooden cross. Meekness mingles with majesty. There is a song entitled, Meekness and Majesty, which helps us to see the contrast of Jesus’ birth and the bearing of a cross.
Meekness and majesty, manhood and Deity, in perfect harmony, the Man who is God.
Lord of eternity, dwells in humanity; Kneels in humility and washes our feet.
O what a mystery, meekness and majesty; Bow down and worship, for this is your God.
Father’s pure radiance, perfect in innocence; Yet learns obedience to death on a cross.
Suffering to give us life, conquering through sacrifice; And as they crucify prays, “Father, forgive.”
O what a mystery, meekness and majesty; Bow down and worship, for this is your God.
Wisdom unsearchable, God, the invisible; Love in destructible in frailty appears.
Lord of infinity, stooping so tenderly; Lifts our humanity to the heights of his throne.
O what a mystery, meekness and majesty; Bow down and worship, for this your God.
–Graham Kendrick
The Church of the Nativity stands over the spot in Bethlehem where it’s believed Jesus was born. But we can’t just walk right in. Years ago, they shrank the door so invaders’ horses couldn’t ride in. The door is so small that we have to bow to get in. If we refuse to bow down, we’ll never see the Jesus-spot. That’s appropriate. If we refuse to bow down, we’ll never see JESUS. We like Jesus - we go to Jesus’ meetings - we agree with Jesus - but we refuse to abandon all faith in our religiosity and personal goodness just to bow before him and say, in the Bible’s words, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).
Jesus really is our only example of true humility in a powerful and prideful world. Because of the eternal price required for the sinful running of our own lives, it’s a price only Jesus could pay. And Jesus did—from a manger to a cross. We’ll never be able to walk through the gates of heaven unless we have bowed before Jesus in humility and faith. The day we BOW DOWN to Jesus is the day we BELONG to Jesus.
Humility means letting go of our position, privilege, and pride, accepting God’s love and forgiveness as a gift of grace. It means recognizing that there’s nothing we can do to earn or deserve God’s love. All we can do is receive it as a free gift. We can never repay God, and he doesn’t want us to try. Once we truly understand God’s grace, once we’ve humbled ourselves to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, then we are better able to freely give to one another and receive from one another, knowing that everything we have is a gift from God.
That’s the ultimate lesson of humility in approaching the birth of Jesus. It’s the only way to get to the manger. Yes, the day we BOW DOWN to Jesus is the day we BELONG to Jesus. Amen!
[As we close out this first message of our Advent series, we will reflect for a moment on the Father’s Love Letter which is scripted on the following page. It is an expression of God’s heart featuring paraphrased verses from Genesis to Revelation compiled in the form of a love letter. This special message from God the Father has touched millions of hearts around the world. This love letter is designed to help us find the love we have been looking for all our lives.]
