The birth
of Christ will be celebrated around the world on Sunday. For many it will be a time of partying and
very little thought of the true meaning of Christ’s birth. One aspect of his birth that set the stage
for his entire life is the humility that God ordained for the birth as well as
the entire life of His Son, the Savior of the world.
He was born
into a family that was not wealthy.
Joseph was a carpenter and made a humble living. When they went to the temple to bring their
offering, he only gave a bird which was allowed for people who were poor.
His mother
Mary was an ordinary young girl. When
she became pregnant out of wedlock, the locals probably began to ask questions
or accuse her of having premarital relationships. Joseph was caught in the middle and people
probably thought badly of him because of Mary’s pregnancy.
The birth
of Jesus was not in a place anyone would choose to have a baby. The humility of a stable which most likely
was simple a cave in the wall was far beneath what a future King would deserve.
It was most likely a place where animals
were kept. Not a clean place that is depicted in the manger scenes we see at
this time of year. It probably was
filled with the stench of the animals along with their excrement. A sanitary place fit for a king, it was not.
Yet God ordained that he be born in Bethlehem and in a very humble place.
The first
to hear of the Saviors birth were shepherds.
Shepherds were not viewed as important people. Their job was a low level job, a job most
people would never want. Shepherds
were the lowest level of society. Shepherds were so despised that they couldn’t
even testify in court.But
to these outcasts, God through his angels announced to them the birth of Jesus
the Messiah. The first visitors of the
King were the lowly shepherds who were excited to see him and then tell others
about him.
Later the 3
kings came to give their worship and gifts to Jesus. When Herod learned of the new king, he was
enraged that his kingdom would be overthrown and thus ordered the death of all
males 2 years old or less. As a result
Jesus and his parents became refugees who fled to Egypt for their safety. A king becoming a refugee, another sign of
the humility of God. He could have
commanded his angels to protect him where he was living but instead chose to
have his Son flee for his life. Jesus
spent the early years of his life as a refugee in hiding, how humbling is that
for the Savior and Son of God.
His early
years after returning from Egypt were as far as we know just ordinary years of
development. He was raised in a poor
home and learned the trade of carpentry with his father. At 12, the age of recognition of his manhood,
he went with his parents and relatives to the temple. He had a new focus for his life which was
being about his heavenly Father’s business.
His parents must have been shocked when he gave them this reply. Yet he did not make a public announcement of
his true identity but humbly continued to work with his father and live a
normal life until he was 30 years old.
What must it have been like for Jesus to know his true identity and
purpose in coming in human form and not be able to say anything until the time
was right? His humanity was firmly
established such that when he began his public ministry many questioned how he
could be the Messiah when they knew him as a son of Mary and Joseph. His identity was in question throughout his
life not only by those who knew him as he grew up but also by the religious
leaders. Jesus remained humble throughout
his ministry. He did not demand special
treatment from those who were with him nor did he have a huge ministry center
named after him. He simply walked among
the common people, ministered to people who were despised and rejected such as
prostitutes, tax collectors, and lepers. He lived as an invited guest in the
homes of others who followed him, ate the food that was given to him and kept a
low profile as long as he could to avoid creating chaos among those who were
increasing in number as they witnessed his miracles and listened to his
teachings.
His
teachings came from his father, he only did what his father revealed to him to
do. He lived in submission to his
heavenly father and did not act on his own. For most people they pride
themselves on being independent, not really needing anyone but are content to
be self-sufficient. We want to be the
boss of our own lives yet Jesus was not interested in doing his own thing but
doing what his father wanted him to do. He was tempted to do his own thing just as we
are yet did not give in to the temptations.
As his time
drew near to go to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover with his disciples, he
entered the city riding on a donkey, a beast of burden and not a beautiful
horse or chariot that would be the normal way a king would enter a city.
They say that Alexander the Great entered
India in a grand procession of 200 painted elephants, 200 soldiers on black
horses and 200 lions surrounding him as he sat on a golden throne atop an ivory
chariot proclaiming "I am the Lord of the universe. I conquered the world.
Now I will conquer the stars". Alexander died at 33 and today owns
nothing.
When he
celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples, he washed the feet of each one
of them. This was a task of a
servant. The disciples failed to find
someone to do this lowly task, but Jesus humbled himself to do this for them as
an example of what he expected of them in the future. Jesus had taught them that the greatest in
his kingdom would have to be the servant of all. This was radical thinking and contrary to the
way of life the disciples had witnessed with their leaders as well as the Roman
government. The fact that Jesus would
wash the feet of Judas whom he knew would soon betray him, demonstrates the
extreme humility of Jesus.
His arrest
in the garden is also an example of his humility in how he responded. He did not defend himself or try to flee from
an unjust situation but submitted himself to the will of his father which would
soon lead to his death. Jesus knew what
was coming and humbly submitted himself to his father. He accepted his role as
the sacrifice for the sins of mankind and followed through with the painful
process of the trial, false accusations, beatings, ridicule, mocking and
intense physical pain. At any point he
could have stopped the abuse and been liberated by the host of angels who were
watching. Yet he endured it all for you
and I.
His death
on the cross was a very humbling experience.
This form of death was for notorious criminals and was one of the cruelest
forms of punishment. Death often took
many days to complete. Jesus was viewed
in public naked as a form of humiliation by the soldiers.
The birth
of Jesus should always remind us of his life of humility. He came to earth in the form of a human being
and became a servant rather than a political or religious leader who could
command respect. God chose a different
way to enter into the world, a way that had little appeal to anyone seeking a
position of power or authority.
As we
reflect on the birth of Christ, may we always be reminded that we too are called
to be humble servants to mankind. We
live in a world that seeks after fame and recognition. It is a world that pushes people out of their
way to get what they want. Christ
modeled to us from the very beginning of his life, that greatness comes through
humble service to God and man. May our
lives be ones of service in which we do not care if we are recognized for what
we do.
