LEARNING HOW TO BE HUMBLE FROM JESUS

Shalom,

Everyone of us surely wants to be like Jesus. But, how is it possible? Through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is worth noting that the Holy Spirit is our Helper that is with us forever (John 14:16) and our Comforter who teaches and reminds us (v.26).

In addition, the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13) and Jesus is the perfect truth (John 14:6) without blemish because He is God. If we want to imitate Jesus, we should prepare our hearts to be engraved with the Word of God by the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:3).

What truth of the Word does the Holy Spirit remind us of this time? Ephesians 5:20-21 write, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Why must we be humble? Humility out of reverence for Christ will result in a great victory over the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). But the devil approaches and makes friends with the arrogant.

As we know, Jesus is the most humble Person ever. Hence, we are required to learn humbleness from Him (Matthew 11:29). Humbleness gives us a merry heart. We are slow to grumble despite the challenge we face. Consequently, we have peace deep within us. On the contrary, arrogance and self-esteem bring us restlessness, anxiety, self-conciousness, fear of defeat, making our souls uneasy out of restlessness.

What is the characteristic of humility? Philippians 2: 3-5 write, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not lookingto your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus,”

Please take note that when it comes to salvation, we must be independent (cannot ‘count on’ others). However, we cannot live on our own in the society since we are social beings.

Who should we submit to?

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands… as the church submits to Christ (Ephesian 5:22-24). Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church (v.25).Children, obey your parents in the Lord.(Ephesian 6:1-3). Fathers, do not exasperate your children..(v.4). Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear…(vv.5-8). And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them…“ (v.9).

Typically, husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves can practice humility with strings attached (on condition that). A wife, for instance, will submit to her husband if he meets her needs; a husband will love his wife if she serves him well. On the other hand, children will obey and honor their parents if they can understand what young people will, etc.

Can husbands value their wives above themselves, and vice versa? In reality, a husband and a wife often quarrel because they look down on each other. Parents treat their children in an authorative manner because they feel they have spent lots of money raising them. In the same way, masters boss their employees around at will for they think they pay them, and the list goes on and on.

Besides considering others more important, we must also take others’ interests into comsideration as we live in the society. Just for an illustration: Members of the body need to collaborate with and care for each other.

For example, the feet go their own way (feeling able to reach the destination). Meanwhile, the eyes do not care what the feet need, letting them take care of themselves. Eventually, the feet stumble and never get to the distination because they take the wrong way.

When it comes to marriage, households and professions, Jesus is the perfect role model. Why did He come into the world? Wouldn’t it have been better for Him to live in His eternal Kingdom? He came for the sake of the sinners and delivered His Word. Sadly, men rejected Him. What was the proof? God created Adam first.

Then from his rib, God created Eve (Genesis 2: 7, 21-23). A husband is the head of the family and is responsible for making decisions. Eve, as a wife, made her own decision to pick and eat the forbidden fruit. Later she shared it with Adam and both fell into sin. In this case, God demanded that Adam, not Eve, account for their marriage and professions (Genesis 3:17). Since that time, men have been losing the image of God.

How did Jesus set an example of humility for man? → lowliness: status / posisi yang rendah (ecek-2)

To husbands and wives (Ephesians 5: 22-23)

For the sake of His love for the church, Jesus willingly died for their stain of sin so that they would be sanctified and presented without blemish before Him.

Wives are first mentioned to obey their husbands (Ephesians 5:22) then husbands (v.25). This shows that husbands play an overall roll in their families. In other words, a husband is responsible for the success of his household. In terms of a concept, a grown-up girl ripe for marriage knows that a wife is expected to understand her husband’s needs and profession, not merely their sex lives.

Do not be interested in his money, ignoring how your husband gets it. Likewise, a mature man who wants to get married knows his wife’s needs and his responsibilities for his family. He loves his wife just when she is weak and not in good condition, because he understands his wife is busy running the household as well as the needs of all family members.

To children and parents (Ephesians 6:1-4)

Nowadays, more and more children disrespect their parents. Actually, the Apostle Paul once gave his written warning 2000 years ago, saying that in the end time, lots of children will break the fifth commandment, namely, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long” (Genesis 20:12; cf. Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2).

Jesus, as a child, gave an example of humbleness by obeying his physical parents, Joseph and Mary. When Jesus was 12 years old, His parents took Him to the Passover Feast in Jerusalem with them. After the feast was over, Joseph and Mary went back to Nazareth. Without their knowing it, Jesus was not with them. How nervous and worried they were when they realized that their son was ’lost’.

Immediately, they returned to Jerusalem (a three-day trip) and found Him in the temple of God talking with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. When Mary, His mother, asked Him why He had done it, making His parents worried, Jesus answered that He had to be in His Father’s house.

But they did not understand His reply. Jesus did not mean to be superior, “lecturing on” His parents; after all, He went down with them back to Nazareth and lived under their care (Luke 2: 41-51). Aged 12, Jesus had learned to obey His Heavenly Father and His physical parents alike.

Therefore, God blessed Him with wisdom and physical growth, growing in favour with God and men (v. 52). Being an obedient son, Jesus set a good example (cf. Proverbs 1: 1-4, 7-8).

Introspection: Where have the children been when they come home late? Did they go to their friend’s home without permission with the excuse of doing school assignments together. In fact, they went to see a movie or let it all hang out somewhere?

Please note: Parents cannot demand that their children honor and obey them unless they first set examples to their children. For instance, how can parents possibly teach their children not to lie while they live a lie all the time? Can a father possibly tell his chidlren not to steal, but he himself commits corruption at work?

How can parents possibly discipline their children to fear the Lord while they give God’s Word no chance to discipline them. They demand respect, but they do not give honor to God and His Word. Children will never change unless parents show them how to be humble and obedient by example.

The Apostle Paul positioned himself as “a mother” who raised the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2: 7) and as “a father” who advised and strengthened their hearts (v. 11). Of course, he must have disciplined himself first before he became an example for them.

It was normal that Jesus, being a human, was afraid to die. But as a Son, He obeyed and suffered until He died (Hebrews 5: 7-9). Be alert as the false teaching says that Jesus is God who cannot die; so He was pretending to suffer pain and die on the cross.

Didn’t he once reject to drink the cup of God’s wrath? As a human being, He had no physical strength to endure all the sufferings He would have to go through (Matthew 26:38-39). Some said that Jesus did not die, but somebody else replaced Him. Pilate was witness to Jesus’ death. Hence, they did not break His legs (John 19:33). Meanwhile, they broke the legs of the two criminals crucified with Jesus on that day (v.32). → be witness to / a witness to.

As a Son, Jesus became the perfect role model and the source of eternal salvation for all people who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

Remember that our obedience to men (a pastor, a father, a mother, a leader, etc.) does not lead us to salvation unless we obey Jesus and His Word. How do we know Jesus? Read the Bible diligently! By knowing Jesus, we know God the Father, too (John 14:9).

To slaves and masters (Ephesians 6:6-9)

Both slaves and masters must be obedient and humble according to their respective positions. This also applies to the servants of Christ. → Simple Presen Tense (Active Voice): kata kerja tidak memakai “to be.”

Joseph, Jacob’s first son with Rachel, was 17 years old when he was sold by his brothers and became a slave in Egypt (Genesis 34:28). What happened to him as a slave in Potiphar’s house and as a prisoner? Wherever he was, God was with him; and whatever he did, God made it prosper (Genesis 39:2, 23).

Boaz, a rich man from Bethlehem, respected his field workers and they respected him in return (Ruth 2:4). Masters/employers who fear the Lord esteem their workers/employees. Boaz saw Ruth picking up the grains in his field and knew the background of her life (Ruth 2:5-7, 11-12). Eventually, he married her and she gave birth to Obed (Ruth 4:13). Obed was the father of Jesse, David’s father (v.17), and the ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:1).

Jesus is the perfect role model. Despite His godly nature (Master), He was willing to take the nature of a servant. He became an man obedient to death - death on the cross - bearing humiliation (Philippians 2: 5-9). On another occasion, Jesus, as a Teacher, humbled Himself by washing His disciples’ feet (John 13:4-5).

Jesus never demanded that He be equal to His Father. Instead, He took the nature of a servant (the lowest point of humbleness) to release and lift up the slaves to sin. For that reason, God exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name (the culmination/top point). At His name, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).

As it turns out, being a humble servant promotes us to kings with Him forever (Revelation 22: 6-7, 12). How does the world see the humble Jesus through us?

How beautiful the impact of humility to husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and slaves. Admittedly, it is not that easy to be humble because it is just like bearing a cross. But think of the result as experienced by the church in Philadelphia that had obeyed the Word and had not denied His Name (Revelation 3:7-8, 11-12). We receive the assurance to enter the new Jerusalem through our utterances and behaviours in the society. Indeed, how blessed we will be if we learn to be humble like Jesus! Amen.

By Pastor Paulus Budiono

Johor, Sunday, November 11, 2018