“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart…” (Matthew 11:29)
Bible Reading: Matthew 11:28-30
There is another feature of Jesus’ life that is to shape the way we live as his disciples, namely, his humility.
The apostle Paul alludes to this in his letter to Christians in Philippi. There appear to have been tensions among some of the believers in that city, a spirit of contention arising out of “selfish ambition and conceit” (Philippians 2:3). To those guilty of this, the apostle writes, “Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant… And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (vs. 5-8).
Everything associated with Jesus, the Son of God, leaving his exalted position in heaven to come and redeem fallen sinners on earth was a demonstration of his humility. As God, he might have held tightly to the glory that was rightly his, but he was ready to surrender the state of universal Lordship and honour to become first a mere human, and then, a servant among men.
That reflects the selflessness of his character. He did not look out for his own interests but looked upon the needs of others and in mercy, stooped to help them at whatever point they were at. Though infinitely greater than us, Jesus does not regard himself as beyond us. This is the lowliness of his heart.
It was expressed in numerous ways in his dealings with people during his ministry on earth. Jesus did not confine himself to the best hotels that Judea offered, nor to the select company of the nobles of the land. Instead, he chose fishermen and tax-collectors for his closest disciples and dined with publicans and sinners, the outcasts and riff-raff of the day. His association with the lower classes was such that he became known as the “friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew 11:19).
No one was too “low” in the scale of social standing, nor too damaged and broken, rotten and diseased, to be beyond the reach of Jesus. His stoop embraced the lowest of the low. It even extended to washing the dirty feet of his disciples (John 13:3-5).
If we are to walk in his footsteps, and our lives take on the shape of his, we too must be meek and lowly of heart. We must take on the heart of God himself, who, although exalted in glory above the heavens, has regard for those who are lowly and delights to take the side of the oppressed, the poor, the orphan and the widow.
No task, no social standing, must ever be a barrier to our readiness to meet a need in love wherever we find it. Selfless love must show itself in lowliness of heart. This is what being a disciple of Jesus requires of us today.
To Think About:
- Do you find it difficult to serve those you consider “below you”?
- How has God worked in you to humble your heart?