Humility

Colossians 1:13-14
Philippians 2:3-7
Isaiah 53:1-2
Luke 1:51-53

“He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

An early Church apostle and preacher, Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, reminding them of the foundational truths of the Gospel. The Colossian church, comprised mainly of Gentiles but including a faction of Jews, were being drawn by prevailing cultural philosophies into believing in salvation through works, rather than through faith in Christ. 

Paul needed to remind the Colossian church in Whom lay their salvation; followers of Jesus often call this message the “Good News.”

Sixty plus years before this letter, while shepherds were tending their sheep in the fields of Bethlehem, an angel shared the same Good News. (Luke 2:10-11)

For hundreds of years, Israel had been waiting for the good news that a Rescuer was coming.

And He did. 
But not quite as they’d planned. 

You see, they were waiting for a conquering hero who, through incredible might and political power, would free them from crushing Roman oppression.

Instead, Jesus arrived, turning everything Israel thought they knew about Messiah upside-down. 

Centuries earlier, the prophet Isaiah had foretold just such an upside-down Savior:

“Who has believed what we have heard? 
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 
He grew up before him like a young plant 
and like a root out of dry ground. 
He didn’t have an impressive form 
or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him.”
(Isaiah 53:1-2)

Isaiah not only prophesied the Messiah would come in humble form, but also that He would not be accepted, as He didn’t fit into their preconceived notion of a messiah. (Isaiah 53)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, further expounded on the unexpected ways Jesus would embody and value humility:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
because he has looked with favor 
on the humble condition of his servant [. . .] 
He has done a mighty deed with his arm; 
he has scattered the proud 
because of the thoughts of their hearts; 
he has toppled the mighty from their thrones 
and exalted the lowly. 
He has satisfied the hungry with good things 
and sent the rich away empty.”
(Luke 1:46b-48, 51-53)

God did not choose a queen to give birth to the Savior of the world; instead He chose an unmarried, ordinary woman, who was betrothed to a carpenter. The very nature of the conception and birth of the Messiah ushers in God’s plan for a new, upside-down kingdom.

God has always used those cast aside to do His greatest work. Consider our unlikely Christmas storyteller, Joshua. Israel was a nomadic nation. Like pesky fleas compared to the giants of civil and military prowess in Canaan, they wandered the Sinai Wilderness for four decades while an unbelieving generation dropped dead in the sands. This unheard-of tribe was certainly no threat to the long-established cities of Canaan and powerful armies long-familiar with war tactics and battle gear.

Yet Yahweh “toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted […]” (Luke 1:52) 

Who? 
Yes, He exalted the Lowly. 

Why? 
Because He is the God of the Lowly, with an upside-down view of how victories are truly won. 

The term “lowly” often gets a bad rap. Usually lowly means lesser than, for any number of reasons: demographics, education, economics. Today, our world’s mantra might be, “What can I do to elevate myself?”  

Israel had no means to elevate themselves against enemies in Canaan, yet Canaan would soon become known as Israel’s land for generations to come.

Mary and Joseph had no means to increase their influence in the world around them, yet today, we still read their stories and their faith emboldens our own.

God took the tales of a minute militia in wilderness wanderings and spread them like wildfire as people of Canaan caught wind of Yahweh’s unstoppable, unlikely, victories. Notice, it wasn’t the Israelites they feared, as much as their God. (Joshua 2:8-11)

And so Jericho’s impenetrable fortress was toppled by the God of the Lowly. 

Mary’s virgin womb carried God the Son, made possible by the God of impossibilities. 

To the world looking on, Christ-bearers of all nationalities, tribes, and tongues will stand in the face of persecution and cling all the more fiercely to the Hope of Christ. 

For our victory is sure and certain when we surrender ourselves wholly to the God who daily stoops low to carry our burdens. (Psalm 68:19)

In a season marked by giving and generosity, let’s stoop low, to love the lowly and to become lowly, like our Savior.

For in the greatest show of humility, Christ allowed Himself to be stripped, flogged until His flesh came off in strips, and hung on a public cross to die. 

Then He rose to life in another unexpected victory, conquering an enemy much greater than the Canaanites: the power of sin and death.

Jesus was brought low in order to save the world and offer rescue for our souls. 

There is no greater love. No greater sacrifice. (John 15:13)

Looking at our brightly lit neighborhoods, festive trees, and filtered reels of social media posts, we can be lured into thinking this life is the pinnacle of success. 

But this “right-side up” kingdom will not last. 

Christ’s Kingdom may not be what the world wants, but it is what we all need.
From lowly manger to cruel cross to eternal victory, embrace the upside-down Gospel by surrendering your everything to the Lowly King of All!