The Humility of Christ

I love thunderstorms.  I always have and I always will. Even as a child I was completely energized by them.  We spent the better part of my childhood in the Rocky Mountains and my mother can testify that I almost always ran to the biggest window when the thunder and lightning started.  She would caution me and tell me to move away in case the lightning came too close.  But I just couldn’t help myself.  Even when I lived in San Diego (I was privileged to live near the beach) when big storms were forecast you could find me standing on the edge of Sunset Cliffs awaiting the coming storms.  There is nothing quite like getting a full blast of ocean wind pushing against you as the clouds roll into the coastline.  You can see the storm coming for miles.  At first you can see a fist-sized cloud in the distance and then it begins to dominate the landscape.  And then, just as in the wonderful Rocky Mountains, you run back inside like crazy to avoid the lightning and getting thoroughly soaked.

As a child I don’t think I quite understood why I loved these storms so much.  But as I grew older and my theology of God became more deeply rooted, I saw the demonstration of God’s divine power in these storms.  Maybe that’s why I run head-long into them, stand and stare out the window with a huge smile on my face.  When the thunder shakes the walls the only thing I can think is, “God’s in charge!  God is in charge!  God is in charge!”

I love the Scriptures that reflect this absolute power and glory of God.  Just listen to some of these.

Psalm 19:1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Psalm 68:4 (This is one of my favorite images of God in his glory)

Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds— his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him.

Job 37:2-7

Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Sometimes in this so-called scientific age I think we miss the wonder and the glory of God.  His power is evident everywhere.  And yet, a simple scientific explanation seems to seize hold of these ideas and shake the life out of them.  Or maybe our pedantic life washes out the wonder of a God so huge, so triumphant and full of glory.

I wonder what it was like to stand at the base of Mount Hermon and feel the mountain shake while Moses ascended to speak with the Lord.  Or what it might have been like to stand next to Elijah as the flames consumed the pitiful sacrifices of all the priests of Baal? I can only imagine the incredible demonstration of God’s power and glory as the walls of water stood at attention by his command giving passage to weary and frightened former slaves leaving Egypt. 

Do we have a sense of wonder and reverence for God in his glory?  Do we recognize the unlimited breadth of his authority as Creator?  Perhaps if we did we would follow the admonition of the Psalmist when he wrote this.

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.

The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

This Psalm also reminds us of God’s power when floods rage over the canvas of the earth.  Flood victims are very aware of the awesome power of God when they see all the man-made things that are so quickly washed away by the power of the creation. This kind of power, a tiny reflection of the power of God in his glory, should never be forgotten.  It is said that “imitation is the highest form of a compliment.” Well, no matter how many dams we build, or how high our structures rise, or how much mud and concrete we pump into a tiny hole in the ocean floor we cannot come near the power and glory of God on high. 

The remembrance and recognition of this kind of power and glory provides us with the perfect compliment and contrast to our key passage of Scripture.  It is an ancient hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11.  It is a theologically profound and beautiful song about Jesus.

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
   

The phrase “being in the very nature God” has also been rendered other ways. “For the divine nature was his from the first.” (New English Bible) “Although he existed in the form of God” (New American Standard & KJV) or “He had equal status with God” (The Message) or “Though he was God” (New Living Translation).  All of these phrases render one reality—Jesus Christ is God.  It was his voice that thundered on Mount Hermon. It was his voice that commanded the waters to rise into walls at the Red Sea.  It is he who rides on the clouds.  As Christians this is one our essential doctrines of faith—Jesus Christ is one with the Father and the Spirit—One God in three persons.

This is why the Apostle Paul was so ardent about reminding the Philippian church why they really gathered together.  This wonderful, small letter which Paul wrote late in his life from prison, urges a group of beloved believers to live into the power and glory of Christ.  But not just based on the typical kinds of power of which we have read. There is another power that is equally strong and another kind of glory, equally great, that must always be kept in mind.  This is the power of Christ’s humility.

As we review this splendid passage from Philippians, take note of particular phrases:  made himself nothing, nature of a servant, human likeness, humbled himself, obedient to death!  The purpose of the incarnation—the fancy theological word for Jesus Christ coming to earth in the flesh—is made profoundly clear here.  It was the intent and purpose and work of Jesus Christ to take all that power, all that glory, all that authority and funnel it down into a bag of skin and bones.  It was the intent and purpose and work of Jesus Christ to take all that thunder, all that lightening and willingly relinquish it to be a servant to the entire human race.  It was the intent and purpose of Jesus Christ to absolutely humble himself—truly, deeply and honestly—even to the point of a cruel death on the cross.

Let’s review the demonstration of Christ’s humility:  1) born of a virgin in a barn among cattle, 2) lived as a hard-working, blue-collar carpenter for most of his earthly life, 3) lived out true servanthood by healing, preaching, feeding, restoring and giving life back, 4) he took common people for disciples, 5) never owned a home, 6) submitted himself to earthly authority—even when they were wrong, and 7) died for all, not just for some.

And in that dying—oh, that dying!—he demonstrated ultimate humility.  At no point in the crucifixion process did Jesus Christ shake his finger in the face of the authorities and say, “You should know who I am.  And if you did you would never talk with me this way.  If you knew who I was you wouldn’t dare to speak to me like you do.  If you had an inkling of what I was capable of you would tremble at the thought of putting nails into these hands and these feet.”  Ladies and gentlemen, never once did Jesus Christ say these things. Never once did he open his mouth and wipe them all out as he could have. Sure he rebuked the religious leaders and he put them into their place with the very Scriptures they already knew.  Sure he slipped through the crowds of lame, blind and hungry to fellowship with the Father.  But never once did he act like a capricious pagan god calling down fire, thunder and rain just to make people afraid of him. 

No, quite on the contrary all that power and glory were funneled into a death—a death that would pay the price for all human sin.  Oh, the absolute glory of the humility of Jesus Christ! Now that’s some kind of backwards glory!  This wasn’t thunder.  This was devastating silence.  When all around the demons and enemies of God were celebrating in an uproar, his quiet, humble sacrifice undid them all!  Is this not a true demonstration of his glory?!

Read the rest of this great hymn now, because that’s not where the story ends—Praise God!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

His act of absolute, redemptive humility led to his complete return to glory—the exaltation by the Father—for the work he had done to redeem his very own creation. This final portion of the great, ancient hymn reminds us of our position with Christ.  We will never attain unto his status as exalted of the Father.  No, there is only One.  Our ultimate position is one of humility—bowing at his feet. It is clear from this final part of the hymn that whether we choose to acknowledge Jesus as Lord or not we will be kneeling before him. We all have a choice—kneel as worshipers or kneel as conquered sinners.

  

There is sometimes a subtle temptation in the Christian walk.  We can claim the glory of God and use it as a weapon to beat people into submission.  We can walk about with a haughty attitude believing that we are better than everyone else because we have accepted Christ as our Savior.  We can use the Scriptures—designed to lead the way to Christ—as a machine gun to show how knowledgeable we are.  May the God of all glory help us!  Who are we to take such an attitude as that?!

Oh, that we would be like Jesus!  By re-visiting this great and ancient hymn the Apostle Paul was reminding believers that there is no place for self-aggrandizement and pride. In fact, the very direct and loving Apostle Paul housed this great ancient hymn in some very practical holiness.  He was intent upon teaching and reminding these believers that the example of Jesus Christ can never be subverted or superseded.  His was the ultimate humility—one which we are to practice toward and one from which we can learn all of our lives.

Scroll back with me to Philippians 2:1-5 to begin to understand why Paul was so intent on shaping the Christian community by quoting this great hymn.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus . . .  

Our your attitude should be the same of the humble and glorified Christ.

There is another great song in Scripture.  We could call it a hymn because it is an absolute joyful celebration of Jesus Christ—the truly glorified and humble Savior of our souls.  As you read this contemplate your attitude of humility.  Do you have one?  Do you need one?  Do you need to return to one so the you can kneel—truly kneel—and worship the God of glory?

John 1:1-5, 10-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Maybe you have just heard the voice of God thundering through the Scriptures.  Maybe you have been hit by the lightning bolt of the conviction as we looked upon the example of Jesus Christ. Maybe the sweet, sweet rain of the Holy Spirit has been coursing down over your hardened heart.  Whatever God has been doing, be sure that it is for your salvation.

May we never forget the absolute humility of Jesus Christ and how he purchased our redemption.  May we fall heavily onto our knees looking for the day when we can gather with all the redeemed and cry “Glory! Glory! Glory!” 

Amen

Copyright M.R. Hyde 2013

 


Greetings, dear reader.  Last week we came to the conclusion of our good, hard work of asking who God is by reading and meditating on Genesis and Exodus.  I will now begin the good, hard work of revising those devotionals to be put in to book form.  I will let you know when that is available.  

In the next few weeks we will enjoy some jaunts into different passages of Scripture.  But, as you can tell, I am prone to series.  So, pray that the Lord would lead us to the next best series. 

I'm glad you are with me on this journey!  Recommend it to your friends and we'll all walk with The Word.