On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus was talking with His disciples. “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
After spending so much time with Jesus and hearing His response to Thomas’ query, Philip asked again, “‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?”’” (John 14:8-10)
Jesus is God, in the flesh. He is God incarnate. When we see Jesus, we see God the Father. As Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) With this thought in mind consider Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Another translation renders meek and lowly as gentle and humble. We can deduce that God, the mighty God Who inhabits eternity, is also gentle and humble. Since He is God and does not change, He is, and always will be humble.
As I have studied this concept in more depth I’ve discovered several passages which corroborate this attribute. “Behold, My servant Whom I have chosen, My beloved with Whom My soul is well pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets; a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench.” (Matthew 12:18)
King Jesus
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)
Our King did not demand our submission or that we respect Him. He chose not to be served, but to serve. He was not a ruler in the manner of the Gentiles who lorded it over his subjects and expected his citizens to die for him, but a servant King who died for His subjects.
When King Jesus entered Jerusalem to the accolades of His followers, they would have expected a king to be mounted on a magnificent white stallion. Instead He came on a colt. “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21:5)
A month ago, if I had been asked to list attributes of God I don’t think “humble” would have made the top ten. Yet God declares that He and His Son, Who are One, are meek and lowly, humble and gentle. Since He is, then it makes sense that so are we as His followers. John writes, “as He is, so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)
Consider Moses, who was used of God to lead an entire nation out of Egypt. “The man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)
Paul, who wrote powerful letters to the churches, was also described as meek and weak. “They say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.’” (2 Corinthians 10:10)
Paul and his team of Christ followers were described as gentle nursing mothers. “We never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness — nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:5-7)
As this knowledge has penetrated my thinking and spirit, I understand afresh Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Notice this theme in more of his writings. “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) and “Speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:2)
As a Husband, Dad, and Grandfather, I hope to be meek and humble and gentle. How I interact with others begins inside, in my heart of hearts. When I am becoming meek and lowly of heart, my tongue and actions will follow suit.
Zephaniah provides a wonderful benediction for us. “Seek Jehovah, all you humble of the land, who do His just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility.” (Zephaniah 2:3) May we each be noted for our genuine humility in Christ this coming year. Amen.
Have a Blessed New Year,
Steve
Upcoming Events
For those in the Lancaster, PA area, you are invited to join us for a Saturday morning Men’s Breakfast on February 1 at 8:00 AM. Bring a dish to share. We will be meeting at 207 Bucky Drive, Lititz, PA 17543. For more information reach out to the Bens :-)
Ben Fogle (717) 615-9687 and Ben Englerth (717) 606-5758. Please register here.
On February 21-22, I will be speaking at the Annual Midwinter Conference in Lancaster, PA and hope to see many of you there.
Men Only. I am flying to Missouri on March 1 for an Iron Sharpens Iron one day equipping seminar.
For those in Wisconsin I hope you will consider attending the Homeschool Convention in the Dells on March 21-22.
April 11-12 I will be in Peoria, Illinois for the PAACH Homeschool Convention.
Podcasts
As you can see from the list below, I have been doing a series on rebuilding our understanding of God according to Scripture. In my own experience, I discovered I had viewed God through the lens of my earthly Father. I then set out to see what God’s Word had to say about my new adopted Dad and have been transformed by the truth which He has revealed.
Podcasts:
428 Rebuilding Our Knowledge of God
429 God Knows
430 God is Love
431 God is Long Suffering and Kind
432 Read the Book (an exhortation for Daily Bible Reading)
433 God is Near
434 God Doesn’t Change
435 God Wants to be Our Father
436 God is Committed