Be Humble Like Jesus

Phil 2:1-11

 

1. There is a Korean saying that ripe rice bends its head down. It means that a ripe person becomes humble. In contrast, proud person is immature and unripe. In the text, Paul strongly commends humility to the Philippian church. Even though this church was praised in many aspects, it seemed to lack humility. Whether it is person, nation, or church, a successful one is usually so proud of oneself to lack humility. But, it is a crucial problem, because God removes the proud and raises the humble. It is God’s first principle of personal management.

2. Historians found that it happens exactly in human history. Pride is so self-sufficient and self-centered to care others, and it results in the collapse of morality and isolation from the surroundings. It slowly destroys the core of the self and then rapidly perishes. See all the great empires in the past. Only a few prosperous family and business survives many generations. Europe that has ruled the world for the last 500 years after Columbus is now perishing slowly in spite of its wonderful culture and tradition. Instead, the poor and humiliated China and India are arising to be the super powers in the next world. The rich becomes poor, the poor becomes rich, the high becomes low, and the low becomes high. It is the logic and principle how God operates this world. It is not a simple change, but there is a very clear mechanism in these changes. Jesus taught that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”(Matt 23:12) Paul here urges to be humble like Jesus.

3. The proposition that Christians received the grace of God presupposes that Christians became humble. Humility is the grace. The biblical image of the proud is represented as a human who says that “I don’t need God or Savior”, for he is so proud of himself enough to be the lord of himself not to submit himself to anybody else, even God. He thinks that he knows everything enough not to depend on others including God. Therefore, he collects information but he does not listen to anybody including God. But, when we become Christian, we confess that we are sinners and Jesus is our Lord. Calling and following Jesus as my Lord is the beginning of humility. Even though we are still proud relatively, we became humble in its absolute sense. It is the grace of God for us to be humble before God. To be proud before God is the most proud and this sin accounts for eternal punishment. Therefore, pride is called the capital sin from which every sin flows.

4. However, the relative pride to fellow humans is also sinful and results in social isolation, collapse, and unhappiness. No Christians would be proud before God, for we humble ourselves and worship God, listening and reading the Word of God every week. But, we are still proud to our fellow humans. And, this sin of pride results in every kind of trouble, tension, stress, unrest, unhappiness, even fight and death. Therefore, humility is the solution to achieve happy and harmonious life in the most cases. For example, think about marriage life between husband and wife. Problem does not come primarily from external conditions but from lack of mutual respect, i.e., the problem of pride. It is same with the other relationships in any human categories.

5. The Bible defines humility in three ways. First, humility is the willingness to cooperate in unity: “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”(2) Pride divides, but humility unites. Sin is division, but salvation is reconciliation. Before sin came, God and humans were united. When sin came, humans separated from God and also from fellow humans incessantly. Out of these endless divisions, there came every kind of fight, discord, and unhappiness. Behind every dividing forces exists some kind of pride not to cooperate with other groups for unity. Separatism is sin of pride, whatever form it takes. God is humble and Jesus is humble. Holy Spirit is also so humble and gentle. And, why are humans so proud, self-centered, and egoistic to create every kind of grouping to feel proud of oneself in the expense of despising others: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.”(3a)

6. Second, humility is the mentality to “consider others better than yourselves.”(3b) It sounds little strange, hard to obey. Suppose that one person is better than the other in running. Then, how could the fast one regard the slow one better in running? But, this saying does not ignore the fact of difference between better and worse. It does not mean some technique, ability or possession. It means the whole person per se. It presupposes that every human is the image of God with different talent and capacity. God created every human uniquely for the harmonious purpose of God in this universe. Even handicapped people have special function and unique contribution for the glory of God, whether we understand it or not. Every human is equal whether one looks such or not. God loves and treats every human equally as one of His beloved children. Therefore, recognizing equality regardless of appearance and possession is the first step to humility.

7. Then, we need to learn respect others. In this step, we need to learn Jesus Christ: “Your attitude should be same as that of Jesus Christ.”(5) He was in very nature equal with God the Father, but he not only loved but also respected His Father. When Jesus respected God, he humbled himself and even emptied himself. Even though every human is equal, humility is to respect others by humbling and submitting ourselves. As an equal human, we have no obligation to submit ourselves to other humans, serve them, and even obey them. Some cases will require us even to empty ourselves fully. However, we do so not for any profit but out of love. It is humility. Even a president or CEO, professor or medical doctor may obey a small child or poor woman, if he is humble. Jesus was so humble to obey everything, even to death on the cross! (8) He had the form of servant, even though he was the King! (7)

8. Third, humility is the consciousness to “look… to the interests of others.”(4) Pride is selfish, always counting one’s own profit, but humility is always conscious and caring of other’s interest. Humility does not care only one’s own feeling but also other’s emotion and happiness. Therefore, it demands some kind of sacrifice. Parents, especially mothers are humble to their children. Jesus clearly and strongly showed that humility demands sacrifice. In this sense, humility is love.

9. Also, humility is to recognize and praise God-given talents and strength in others with appreciation and glory to God, while pride tries to ignore it. In England, Sir Walter Scott was once praised as the best writer but when Lord Byron appeared and became popular. A man wrote an article in London paper that now the age of Walter Scott is gone and Lord Byron is the best writer in England. How it might be bitter to Sir Scott? But you know, it was Sir Walter Scott who wrote that article! It is humility to praise other’s gift that God gave even it harms your own interest. Our concern or interest should not only for ourselves but for the Kingdom of God as a whole. John the Baptist was humble enough to say that “He must become greater; I must become less.”(John 3:30)

10. A humble man looks humble and sounds humble, but the essence of humility is rather the matter of heart and life. Hypocritical humility or ascetic humility (Matt 6, Col 2) was not genuine humility, because they were religious kind of sinful pride to achieve religious superiority in some way. Genuine humility is toward others and for others, out of heart and respect.