”One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” Again they could not answer. When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”“
Luke 14:1-14 NLT
Jesus repeatedly taught on humility because we repeatedly need it. He frequently said, “The first will be last and the last will be first” and “those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” We constantly try to be God, acting like the world should revolve around us. We often struggle to serve and never want to be made lower than we think we should be. It’s such exhausting work playing King of the Mountain. It is also pointless—there is only one King, and He humbly sacrificed Himself on the mountain. We need to stop playing the arrogance game and live His way of humility and glory. Jesus (who is God) became human, was scorned and rejected, and condemned and killed as a criminal. Yet He rose in glory and has the Name above all names.
Being humble does not mean putting ourselves down all the time. That is actually a form of arrogance because we are not believing what God has said about us as His sons and daughters. Being humble means we know our identity and worth in Christ—we don’t find it in accomplishments, positions, power, or the opinions of others. We are servants of the King whom we worship above all. Obeying Jesus leads to glory—true glory. It means living and leading with His power. And there is nothing greater than God’s power. That is the power Jesus had, the power He offers to His followers, and the power we can have—if we will follow Him and be humble.
How is humility more than putting yourself down? What would true humility look like in your life? In what area of your life do you need more humility?
