I want to begin with 3 stories that give background to our readings today.
In the 4th Chapter of the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that he doesn’t understand. He asks Daniel to interpret it for him. Daniel tells him that in the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar is a tree who is chopped down and made to live with wild animals. Daniel says he will have to live this way for 7 years, until he learns that God is in control of everything. Nebuchadnezzar was very proud of his kingdom and his palace. He was not a humble king!
One day, Nebuchadnezzar was walking and surveying his kingdom and bragging about it, when all of the sudden he could no longer speak and had to go live with wild animals. He spent 7 years away from his kingdom, just like in his dream. At the end of 7 years, he praised God and knew that God was in charge. He wrote a letter to his people and said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:37)
John the Baptist is a very important person in the New Testament! He was a cousin of Jesus, and he was chosen to proclaim that the Messiah had come. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist says one of the most well-known verses in the Bible – “He must increase, while I must decrease.” What a beautiful, humbling prayer! John is giving us a picture of what it means to be humble, and to seek Jesus before our own gain. (John 3:22-30)
In the Gospel of Luke, we hear of some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else. Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)
This brings us back to our Gospel reading from Matthew today. Listen again, “While teaching one day, Jesus started talking about the Pharisees and describing
how they acted. They do everything for show, they take the best seats and wear the biggest tassels, and demand respect when they walk around. The behavior he describes is pride and arrogance- the opposite of humility. (Matthew 23:1-12)
Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees, the religious authorities of the Jewish people, in the presence of his disciples? Jesus wanted to warn his own disciples and the religious leaders about the temptation to seek honors and titles that draw attention to themselves in place of God and his word. Pride tempts us to put ourselves first above others.
Jesus was totally opposite of the Scribes and Pharisee’s! He was born in a lowly barn, he put others before himself, and he never bragged. Jesus tells his followers that “Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.”
Origen (185-254 AD), an early Christian teacher and bible scholar, reminds those who teach and lead to remember that they are first and foremost “disciples” and “servants” who sit at the feet of their Master and Teacher the Lord Jesus Christ: “You have one teacher, and you are all brothers to each other… Whoever ministers with the divine word does not put himself forward to be called teacher, for he knows that when he performs well it is Christ who is within him. He should only call himself servant according to the command of Christ, saying… Whoever is greater among you, let him be the servant of all.”
In the 2nd reading today, St. Paul talks about humility when he says, “You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God”. We took it upon ourselves to teach you the gospel of God. We shared it with you, so that you too, might be saved.
We see St. Paul further proclaim humility when he says, “I am the least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9); “I am the very least of all the saints” (Ephesians 3:8); and “I am the foremost of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). These descriptions of Paul date from around A.D. 59-64. As the years pass he goes lower; he grows downward! He has less self-importance. Like John the Baptist, Paul decreases so that Christ increases. At the same time, Paul’s praise and adoration for God who saved him, increases.
Then, in Philippians, St. Paul gives us the greatest example and model of humility of Jesus Christ; “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8). The Lord Jesus gives us his heart – the heart of a servant who seeks the good of others and puts their interests first in his care and concern for them.
Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to see and judge correctly – the way God sees. Humility helps us to be teachable so we can acquire true knowledge, wisdom, and an honest view of reality. Humility directs our energy, zeal, and will to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves. It frees us to love and serve others willingly and selflessly, for their own sake, rather than for our own.
True respect for God leads us to humble ourselves and to submit to his wisdom and guidance. We cannot be taught by God unless we first learn to listen to his word and obey his instruction. We need to ask ourselves – What is the nature of true humility and why should we embrace it as essential for our lives? We can easily mistake humility as something demeaning or harmful to our sense of well-being and feeling good about ourselves. True humility is not feeling bad about ourselves, or having a low opinion of ourselves, or even thinking of ourselves as inferior to others. True humility frees us from this preoccupation we have with ourselves, what we like to call the “Me Culture”. True Humility means looking at ourselves honestly and seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Psalm 139:1-4).
A humble person makes a realistic assessment of themselves without illusion or pretense to be something they’re not. A truly humble person regards themselves neither smaller nor larger than they truly are. True humility frees us to be ourselves as God regards us. Thus, we avoid falling into despair and pride. A humble person does not wear a mask or put on a false appearance in order to look good to others. The humble person is not swayed by fame, reputation, success, or failure.
Humility means understanding that the delights, pains and needs of others are as important as our own, even though they don’t feel like it. When we are humble, we can laugh at our self-importance and sometimes, even, set it aside. We can see our own faults and the strengths of others, and we recognize how much we have been given, unearned.
Humility makes us aware of our personal limitations and the limitations of humanity more broadly. We acknowledge that there is much we do not know. Everyone has the same worth and dignity, regardless of their power, riches, or talents. Only deeds are unworthy, not people. No one should be ashamed to admit they are wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that they are wiser today than they were yesterday. That certainty is impossible, and that our understandings of the world are provisional at best. Humility opens us to growth and love.
Jesus was a real person who accepted and cared for every person who brought him their pain and weakness. He powerfully liberated and healed every one of them. And He still does this. It is as simple as, “Jesus, I am humble and meek – Be merciful to me, for I am a sinner. Heal me of all my faults and failings. Grant me a place at the table so that I might be healed.”
In closing I leave you with these two thoughts on humility…
Did you hear about the minister who said he had a wonderful sermon on humility but was waiting for a large crowd before preaching it? I haven’t either.
George Washington Carver, was a great scientist who developed a world full of useful products from the peanut, once said: “When I was young, I said to God, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is reserved for me alone.’ So I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more nearly your size.”