When you think of a king, what words come to mind? What about when you think of a servant? Do the lives of a king and a servant have a lot in common?
Not usually.
That’s why it’s so amazing to think that the King of Heaven and earth left the glory of Heaven to live in a messed-up world as a servant to humanity.
In a world where people are tempted to focus on gaining power, prestige or profits, God has gave us Jesus, the perfect example of putting others’ needs above our own.
And, if we look at the life of Jesus during Holy Week, His humility is front and center.
When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem (on what we refer to as Palm Sunday). the expectation of many was He would be a conquering, military Messiah. The people of Israel had lived under Roman occupation for some time, and they dreamed of a day when Rome would be finally shown the door.
But the manner in which Jesus entered Jerusalem seemed hardly king-like. Instead of riding on a gallant steed, Jesus was carried by a young donkey. This image is a reminder that Jesus didn’t come in pride or power, but in lowly humility.
And the theme of humility carried over into the upper room gathering right before Jesus’ arrest. As the disciples came into the room, Jesus insisted on washing their feet. But some of the disciples balked, because foot washing was a task reserved for lowly servants. Peter responded to the idea of Jesus washing his feet like this: “Jesus, you will never wash my feet!”
But Jesus didn’t relent. Here’s how the rest of the conversation went:
Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would betray him. This is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” (John 13:8-11)
All in all, the scene in the upper room was one of immense humility, gentleness and servanthood.
Even when Jesus was arrested, he didn’t resist or lash out. His words were few and to the point.
All in all, Jesus consistently displayed humility throughout Holy Week. In fact, humility was a mark of Jesus entire ministry. So much so, Paul wrote about Jesus’ humility to encourage Jesus’ followers to follow in his lowly footsteps. I like how Eugene Peterson captures Philippians 2:5-8 in his paraphrase of the Bible:
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
If we are going to be like Jesus, then humility will be something we have to take seriously. Instead of personal prominence or glory, we must pursue the heart and actions of a servant.
KURT STAEUBLE 