One of the most attractive and startling characteristics of the Lord Jesus is his genuine humility. From an unspeakable place of privilege and perfection, he volunteered to come to earth. Transported into our time and space he entered the womb of a weak and poverty stricken maiden. He said to His Father: "Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God." He who was the Word, and by whose voice, commanded the Universe into existence, submitted himself, wholly and obediently to the will of another. As a child, he learned obedience from what he suffered and submitted himself to the rule and way of life of his parents. As a young student, Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men. Like his peers, he learned to read and love the law of God. As a young adult he assumed the position of a lowly worker, the son of a carpenter. When his time was about to come, some of his veiled greatness began to shine through his ordinary frame and simple family upbringing. He miraculously fed the hungry, healed the sick, commanded nature and prophetically proclaimed the year of the Lord's favour. All the while, he assumed the position of a suffering servant, remaining close to his own roots and yet being constantly rejected and misunderstood by the erudite and educated ruling classes. Those who had assumed positions of power and responsibility, instead of recognizing his true greatness, eventually with a great act of cruelty, executed the humble Prince of Glory. He was crushed under the weight of human injustice and corruption. All of this was according to the perfect will of his Father: to become the man of sorrows, in order to bring many sons to glory.
Our own lives are naturally bent on becoming great. As a minimum, we desire make our own ideas and wishes known to others. "I" and "Me" are like the two great poles of our internal battery. We strive to close the circuit and make things happen, in our way and in our time. Life seems to be so self centred on ourselves, our agendas and our rights. Certainly we are not all equal in this regard. There is much striving for the best fruit, the best places of employment, and the holy grail: status amongst men.
How great is the contrast between human nature and the essence of the Son of Man. His entire life was an example of shunning the pressures of both family and society for "self-actualization", that great pinnacle of our Maslowian climb. With grace and kindness he taught us "a better way". Simply put, his disciples are required to die to self, take the place of servant and follow Him. There are thankfully many who have done are doing the work which Christ has required of us. Of course we never hear about them in any of our glossy magazines, newspapers, or scholarly journals. Such people are rarely the subjects of TV interviews. Their story lines never make it into print or onto the silver screen. These lives are simply far too ordinary to be recorded for the sake of our temporal amusement or accumulation of the worldly trivia. But their names are known and deeds are acknowledged by the Son of Man which is ultimately all that matters.
For us who remain and have one day at a time to live, one sobering question remains: Are we willing to follow in their train?
