Humility is a hard concept for us to grasp in our culture. Politicians try to gain your vote by puffing up their accomplishments and downgrading their opponent. Parents yell from the sideline for their child to be the star on the athletic team. Your employer notices that you brought your project in ahead of schedule and under budget only if you put yourself in the spotlight.
We want praise. We crave recognition. We desire for people to tell us how good we are. But the lesson Jesus teaches about humility in the Gospel lesson stands in stark contrast to the way we think.
In Luke 14:1-16, Jesus is at the house of a prominent Pharisee. He notices how the guests played a game of choosing chairs of honor at the table. So, Jesus stops the game of musical chairs to teach them a lesson that not only applies to dinner parties, but also to the kingdom of God. “Go sit in a seat that’s not important. When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up to a more important place. Then all the other guests will honor you.’” He then summarizes the point of his parable by explaining, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus is teaching a lesson about humility. We learn true humility from Jesus Christ. He is, as our hymn of the day properly states, the “Son of God, eternal Savior.”
Verse one: “Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us, hallows all our human race, you our head, who, throned in glory, for your own will ever plead: fill us with your love and pity, heal our wrongs and help our need.”
Jesus Christ was born among us. He is the Word of God who humbled himself by taking on human flesh and blood. He is the eternal God who entered the realm of time and space. He became incarnate as the Son of Man to be made like us in every way. The writer to the Hebrews explains the reasoning for the incarnation like this: “Since the children share flesh and blood, [Christ] also shared the same flesh and blood” (Hebrews 2:14). As God and man together in one now “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Because the Son of God was now human, he could suffer the greatest humiliation of all – death. Not just any death, but death on a Roman cross.
Verse two: “Bind us all as one together in your Church’s sacred fold, weak and healthy, poor and wealthy, sad and joyful, young and old. Is there want or pain or sorrow? Make us all the burden share. Are there spirits crushed and broken? Teach us, Lord, to soothe their care.”
Jesus unites us into the sacred sheepfold of the Christian Church. He brings people together from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9). The Church is made up of the humble – those who are weak and strong, poor and wealthy, sick and healthy. When we humble ourselves to Christ, we realize that we have no reason to boast in ourselves. Instead, we join with St. Paul in announcing, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for boasting” (Galatians 6:14). This boasting in the cross of Christ allows us to share in the crosses and burdens of others.
Verse three: “As you, Lord, have lived for others, so may we for others live. Freely have your gifts been granted; freely may your servants give. Yours the gold and yours the silver, yours the wealth of land and sea; we but stewards of your bounty held in solemn trust will be.”
We are stewards and managers of everything God has given us. We are managers of the gold and silver God has gifted us. We use that wealth to further God’s kingdom. We also use that wealth to care for the physical and spiritual needs of those around us. We are God’s stewards who use whatever wealth we have from God to do good for God’s people. St. Paul encourages us, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
Verse four: “Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us hallows all our human race, by your praying, by your willing that your people should be one, grant, O grant our hope’s fruition: here on earth your will be done.”
Solomon gives us this wise advice in the Old Testament lesson: “Do not honor yourself in a king’s presence. Do not stand in a place reserved for great people, because it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than for you to be humiliated before a ruler whom your eyes have seen” (Proverbs 25:6, 7). Do you feel a need for affirmation? Does your self-esteem need attention? You don’t need to drop names or show off. You need only pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this – the Maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And that’s a fact. So, if you need to brag — brag about that! Jesus gives us this good advice, “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He established his church as the body of his followers to spread his message of salvation to a lost and dying world. It is our goal to share with others the love of Christ that was first shared with us. We exalt in our humility. We rejoice in our unity. We invite others to share this humility and unity. As sons and daughters, we go about the business of him who is the “Son of God, Eternal Savior.”