We all love stories where some great person stoops. The Mayor of a great city moves into the housing project for a month. The CEO of a billion dollar company works on the loading dock for a day. The NBA star joins a pick-up game in the neighborhood. The college president helps a freshman unload the car in the first week of school.
We like hearing stories like these. But the truth is, excursions like these have very little to do with real humility. Humility is not a day trip. It is not a place we occasionally visit in moments of extreme devotion. Humility is a realm that Jesus calls us to explore deeply and inhabit permanently.
Despite its importance, the truly humble person is not marked by an extreme interest in humility. What we sometimes mistake for humility in others is often just a carefully disguised form of pride. Such attempts at humility are intended to set us apart from others. These acts of false humility are not merely comparative, they are competitive. It is hard to serve those with whom you are in competition.
Real humility is harder to recognize than we think. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis observes, “Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays; he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all.”
This is what differentiates true humility from false humility. False humility is conspicuously self-conscious. But the truly humble person, as Lewis observes, is not thinking about himself. This is not because the humble person loathes himself. It is because the servant is genuinely interested in the other.
Love, it turns out, is the real secret to humility. Before Jesus’ great act of humility, the Scripture testifies: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1 ESV). The key to humility does not lie in thinking about humility at all. What we call humility is really just another name for love.
Thanks John for the insightful article. The God-Man Jesus Christ demonstrated his humility in several ways. He humbled Himself, taking on a form of a servant. He revealed His glory but not for worldly recognition. He took on the sins of the world, being despised and rejected by the world. As you said, Jesus loved the world to the end. God bless.
Great article John; especially do I like the quote from C S Lewis. A good writer as yourself knows we need to expound the Word, even with “side comments” from other writers as well. And the mention of Jesus’ take on humility where you say: “Humility is a realm that Jesus calls us to explore deeply and inhabit permanently.”Plus, this goes perfectly with James’ reference to Proverbs 3:34 “God gives grace to the humble.” God knows we need the avenue of grace in order to receive and grow in our humility on a daily basis. Thanks, John.