I had to smile: the car in front of us had a sticker on the window that read “It’s hard to be humble when you own a bull terrier”. Amazing, isn’t it, what people take pride in? A bull terrier is just a dog. And a dog is a dog is a dog! So, what’s the big deal? And yet… change the words a little and that sticker might well be appropriate on the back window of your car or mine. It’s hard to be humble when you’re driving a Tiguan. It’s hard to be humble when you’re living in Narrabri. It’s hard to be humble when…..! Well, you just fill in whatever it is that you take pride in.
The simple fact is that it is very hard for us to be humble, period. In Jesus’ day there were people who had a sticker on the back of their wagon that read: It’s hard to be humble when you’re a Pharisee. Even when it comes to spiritual things pride rears its ugly head. Or, as I pointed out in my previous blog, maybe it’s especially in spiritual things that pride rears its ugly head! It’s easy for those of us who are Christians to think we are a little better than others. Thank God that we’re not atheists! Of course we would never write on the back of our motor vehicle that it’s hard to be humble when you are a Christian. And yet… the temptation to pride is never far away. On top of that we often pride ourselves in our particular denominational affiliation: It’s hard to be humble when you’re Reformed or Presbyterian. Or… it’s hard to be humble if you’re an Anglican. Or… well, you just fill in whatever your denominational loyalty is.
When it comes to humility the gospel (the good news of the doing, the dying and the victory of Jesus Christ) is our greatest incentive to humility. The apostle Paul makes that very clear in the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians. He points out that Jesus, the Son of God, did not consider His equality with God something to be hung on to. He laid aside His glory, humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant. In humility Jesus laid aside His cloak at the Last Supper and washed the dirty feet of His disciples. His humility took Him along the painful way of suffering and all the way to death. In utter humility He allowed soldiers to nail Him to a rough wooden cross.
Pride continues to create havoc among us, sinful human beings… and at times it can be so petty. We pride ourselves on our maturity as we cut down the tall poppies. It is pride that so often keeps us from doing the job no one else wants to do. Humility is hard because we think of all the positives we have going for us that gives us an edge on others. It’s the lack of humility that makes it difficult to be the least in a situation of conflict or to apologise to someone we have wronged. It is pride that stops me from being gracious and accepting an apology – that too takes humility.
The gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to be people who are indeed different… but different, not because we are better than others; different rather because we have been saved by the amazing love of God in Jesus. But that good news of the gospel also reminds us that humility is the mark of the Christian… because it was the mark of the Christ who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
It’s only when we live out of the love of Jesus that we can be really humble – even about owning a bull terrier.
John Westendorp