The life to
which you have been called by God is one of anonymity. It is one that not only
suggests but demands a persistent humility before God and others. This type of
humility is not simply willed into existence. It is not forged by human
exertion. It is gifted from the Spirit of God in having eyes to see supreme
beauty in the humiliation of Christ and being stirred to go and do likewise for
others. If in this life you welcome this humility, you will find your eternal
exaltation. The kingdom of God will welcome in adoration the unadorned. Yet if
you seek exaltation in this life, you will have it only for a season and be left
to embrace eternal humiliation.
This is the
point Jesus makes in Mark 10.42-45:
And Jesus called [the disciples] to him and said to them, “You know
that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among
you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever
would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not
to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
There are
several things in this text that help teach us about true humility. First, Jesus
is both the model and motivation for our humility. He is not only the model for
our humility, and he is not only the motivation for our humility. He is both.
Jesus says in
verse 45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.” Notice the emphatic language Jesus
employs—“for even the Son of Man.” The
“Son of Man” title is a kingly one. Jesus pulls it from Daniel 7.13-14 which
reads:
And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was
given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Jesus’
self-applied title “Son of Man” evokes strong, everlasting, royal imagery. And
yet Jesus weds this imagery with sacrificial “ransom for many” language evoking
the imagery of Isaiah’s suffering servant in Isaiah 53. The eternal king of
Daniel 7 is also the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.[1]
Marvel at the humility of Jesus! Marvel that the eternal Son of Man enthroned
in resplendent glory left the throne room of Heaven to undertake undeserved and
unspeakable suffering “as a ransom for many” who in stood against him in
hostile rebellion. The only proper response is to hastily put off the old
garment of pride sewn in sin and to joyfully put on the new garment of humility
sewn for you by the Spirit. You should be constrained to cultivate by the
Spirit a daily discipline of beholding the humility of Jesus that won for you
an eternal exaltation with him.
Marvel that the eternal Son of Man enthroned in resplendent glory left the throne room of Heaven to undertake undeserved and unspeakable suffering “as a ransom for many” who in stood against him in hostile rebellion.
As already
mentioned, Jesus is not only our motivation for humility. He does not motivate
us toward humility and leave us looking elsewhere for a model. He himself is
our model. As the eternal, preeminent Son of Man, Jesus is exceedingly exalted
above the children of man. He, as their Creator and King, is also the object of
their sinful rebellion. And yet He, even He,
stoops down in love to serve and to be a slave. Mark does not leave us guessing
as to how the humility of Jesus interacts with the world. Following verse 45 in
chapter 10, Mark recounts the story of Jesus’ encounter with a blind beggar
named Bartimaeus. If there was ever anyone put together enough to merit Jesus’
service it certainly is not Bartimaeus. He is blind. He is poor. He is an
outcast. The crowds ignorantly pass him by day by day as he sits on the
roadside begging for leftover crumbs and spare change. And yet Jesus, in his
loving, humble interaction with this blind beggar shows us what it means to
pour out one’s life with the single aim of the good of others. As he is moving
through the massive crowd that gathered around him, Jesus stops upon hearing
the blind beggar cry out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He calls Bartimaeus
to him who begs, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight. Let me see!” Bartimaeus did
nothing to deserve the restoration of his sight. Jesus owed this man nothing.
And yet, Jesus says to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” This
is the aim of humility—the good of others even when undeserved. If you ever
wonder, “What should humility look like?” look to Jesus. He alone is the
standard of true humility.
Jesus, in his loving, humble interaction with this blind beggar shows us what it means to pour out one’s life with the single aim of the good of others.
There are two
points from this passage in Mark that are critical to understand regarding the
type of humility motivated and modeled by Jesus. First, humility requires a
rejection of the world. Jesus says in versed 42 and 43, “You know that those
who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
ones exercise authority over them. But it
shall not be so among you.” Jesus completely flips the world’s
understanding of authority and power and position on its head. The world thinks
the more powerful you are, the prestigious office you hold, the more people you
can summon to serve you. But Jesus rejects this way of thinking and denies it
any presence in his kingdom. You will often be tempted to posture yourself in
pride and arrogance over your brothers and sisters in the body. Reject such
temptation. It is counter to the kingdom of God and will not serve the church
but only harm her.
Instead, Jesus
says, become a servant and a slave to all. This is the second point: humility
requires an embrace of servanthood. In stark contrast to the world’s understanding
of power and authority, Jesus declares in verses 43 and 44, “But whoever would
be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you
must be slave of all.” This is a beautiful paradox! In the kingdom of God,
instead of greatness deserving service, greatness demands serving. If you
desire to be great you must be a
servant. If you desire to be great you must
be a slave.
In the kingdom of God, instead of greatness deserving service, greatness demands serving.
The call upon
you, brothers and sisters, is not a call to seek your own benefit and
advantage. It is a call to lower yourself to the uttermost, to exhaust yourself,
to disappear in service of others. It is a call, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer
famously penned, to come and die.[2]
Or as Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf urged, preach the gospel, die and be
forgotten. And those who have come and died to themselves, those who have
anonymously served the gospel without regard to their own name, those who have
humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God will be exalted upon their
entrance into the kingdom of God. The servant will be exalted. The nameless
shall receive names. The invisible shall be made visible. The unadorned will be
adorned.
[1]
Daniel Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition:
Exalting Jesus in Mark
[2]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
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