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Henri J. M. Nouwen's book, In the Name of Jesus, has many insights into leadership and humility, and we're quoting it a second time (see Jan. 5): “[Christian leadership] is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest. . . . I am speaking of a leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favor of love. It is a true spiritual leadership. Powerlessness and humility in the spiritual life . . . refer to people who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they are ready to follow him wherever he guides them, always trusting that, with him, they will find life and find it abundantly.”
Christ's incarnational humility is celebrated in today's reading, which begins a string of five biblical examples of humility. We've dealt with humility before God and humility with others, so now we turn to examine some concrete examples of how humility is lived out in daily life. In what way did the Incarnation model humility for us? First, Christ took a lower position (vv. 6-7). The Son of God became a man, a definite “step down.” He “made himself nothing” or “emptied himself” (nasb), a phrase that has generated much theological debate through the centuries. The essential truth is that He didn't claim the rights of divinity during His earthly life, but experienced and submitted to being human, including, for example, hunger and fatigue. Second, Jesus' life modeled humility in that He was a man destined for an ignoble death (cf. Isa. 53). He acted in obedience to the Father and for the redemption of the world, but He came knowing that He would be executed as a criminal.
Jesus also illustrates the principle of
reversal: that God exalts the humble
(vv. 9-11; Luke 18:14). Christ took the
lowest place, but God raised Him to the
highest, and one day every knee will bow
before Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We hope that reading today's text, probably an ancient hymn about Christ, has put you in the mood for a more modern hymn about Christ. Why not close your devotional time today by reading or singing one? If you don't have a hymn book at home, we encourage you to purchase one at your earliest opportunity, but in the meantime, lyrics and music for most hymns can be found on the Internet. Two hymns that would make good choices are “Rejoice, the Lord is King” and “O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.”
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