Reading Matthew 18 & 19 this week has brought to mind the presence of humility in my life, and what it looks like to me to humble myself before God. In chapter 18, Jesus answers the question of the greatest among those in heaven with a nearby child, saying “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Looking through the lens of Matthew’s focus on telling the Gospel for Jewish audiences, we should consider how kids were generally treated in that day & age. While loved & a blessing, kids were generally viewed more of extensions of the family, less of their own people & more of familial property: to quietly learn by observing, not speaking out, and being subject completely to the rule of their parents over their own autonomy. Seen & not heard, as it were.
Jesus is a paragon of the humility and submission before God’s will we should embody (in the garden of Gethsemane – “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” – Matthew 26:42). I think of Jesus’s parables & responses in these passages, and reflect on how I too can be a more humble man. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” In my daily life, am I humbling myself under the mighty hand of God? Are my decisions based on my own pride & self-interest, or based off how God is moving my heart during prayer? Am I humbling myself to His greater command, considering myself His subject, or is a haughty heart trying to convince me I can do it alone? Do I view my actions towards others & my opinions of them through eyes of humility and righteousness, seeing myself as equally dead in sin as others, or through blind eyes of judgement, contempt, and scorn? Do others see these qualities in me as an act of service and a demonstration of my resurrection through Christ?
Matthew 18 & 19 offer many different convicting examples of how we’re called to humble ourselves before God & others. From valuing being righteous and obedient to God (and leading others to do the same) over anything in this world, even physical life itself; to putting joy in others finding salvation over our own wellbeing in the Parable of the Lost Sheep; seeking forgiveness and mercy for those who’ve wronged you & are indebted to you, as God has forgiven you in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant; submitting yourself to God’s plan for your marriage if you’re so called, fully committing to forgiveness of your spouse and God’s bestowed love (and in honoring God in your sexuality, married or not); even submitting your finances to God’s will, putting doing good works in His name and helping the needy with your money above using or hoarding it beyond your needs. Seems like many issues stemming from putting focus on the self over focus on the greater haven’t changed too much over these thousands of years!
Simply put, being a humble person is about thinking less about yourself, and more about God. It is joyously accepting and following the path God has laid for you rather than forging your own twisted trail. It is putting your ego aside to help others as our savior Jesus did, and as He commands us to as well. I pray you would ponder and follow Jesus’s words in these passages today, and better lead others to more blameless lives, be a more forgiving and understanding person even in the face of those who wrong you, and live with intention and thoughtfulness of God’s will in all aspects of your life. Psalm 138:6 says “for though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.” I would pray you would draw close to the Lord today in humble spirit and find grace in His presence, so that we may please Him and better proclaim His good name to this world.