The Humility of Jesus

Philippians 2:7-8, “He (Jesus) made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!”

Jesus was GOD and yet, out of His great love for us, He chose to come to earth as a human. No deity was subtracted from Jesus, but rather, humanity was added to Jesus’ nature.  As the eternal God Himself, Jesus possessed the very shape and outward appearance of God — a form that included great splendor, glory, power, and a divine presence so strong that no flesh could endure it. No matter what form Jesus had before He entered the stream of humanity, He now exists as a man for all eternity.  “God literally reached out from His eternal existence into the material world He had created and took human flesh upon Himself in ‘the form of a servant’”, Rick Renner.

It is the true story of a King who traded His royal garments and took upon Himself the clothing of a servant. But the story doesn’t stop there. Jesus loved us so much that He “…humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8). He humbled himself for the surpassing greatness of our salvation. 

AW Tozer said, “Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.” Jesus is now sitting at the Father’s right hand and arrayed in splendor beyond human imagination — but His humility still remains intact, consistent, and unchanged. It is one of the chief characteristics of His nature. He was humble; He is humble; and He will always be humble, just as Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”  Oh the beauty and greatness of Jesus!
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Let’s look at a few of the ways of Jesus’ humility in his humanity:

1. Jesus took the form of a man, not more glorious like an angel
2. Jesus was born in an obscure, oppressed place
3. Jesus was born in poverty among a despised people
4. He was born as a baby, instead of appearing as a man
5. He submitted to obedience into a family, obeying his parents
6. He learned and practiced a humble trade as a carpenter
7. He knew weakness, hunger, thirst and tiredness
8. He waited long to launch into ministry
9. He chose humble disciples and friends
10. His teaching was to the outcasts
11. The temptations He allowed and endured
12. Jesus’ total obedience to His Father in heaven
13. His submission to the Holy Spirit
14. Jesus came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28)
15. Jesus humbly entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9)
16. Jesus’ enduring shame, mocking, public humiliation of his death
17. The spiritual agony of His sacrifice on the cross

 
Paul invites us to “consider the example that Jesus has set before us. Let that mindset become your motivation”, Philippians 2:5.  What is humility?  Humility is a posture of soul, body and life that embraces the goodness of God and the humanness of self.  Humility causes us to flourish, God’s image shining in fullness through us. Humility is our greatest friend. It increases our hunger for God’s word and opens our hearts to his Spirit. It leads to intimacy with God, who dwells with the one “who is of a contrite and lowly spirit” (Isa. 57:15).