The Real Purpose of ChristmasSample

The Beautiful Act of Humility

The act of God coming as a baby, in the form of human flesh, was an astounding, magnificent feat that should keep us in awe of the God who designed it, planned it, and executed it to make it a living reality in the lives of everyone who believes.

But what did it look like for Jesus, who undertook this mission and willingly fulfilled His part in God’s great design and plan? That “little baby in a Bethlehem manger” was born to die for you and me and thus pay for the forgiveness of our sins and our reconciliation to the Father.

In Philippians 2:8, Paul wrote about God becoming a man, and he expressed so beautifully the ultimate reason God chose to take this amazing action. Paul said, “And being found in fashion as a man, he [Jesus] humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

The word “humbled” means to be humble, to be lowly, and to be willing to stoop to any measure that is needed. Think of how much humility would be required for God to shed His glory and lower Himself to become like a member of His creation. Consider the greatness of God’s love that drove Him to divest Himself of all His splendor and become like a man.

This is amazing to me, particularly when I think of how often the flesh recoils at the thought of being humble or preferring someone else above itself. Yet Jesus humbled Himself “…and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

The word “obedient” in Greek lets us know this was not a pleasurable experience that Jesus looked forward to. Hebrews 12:2 says He despised the thought of the Cross and could only endure its shame because He knew the results that would follow.

According to Philippians 2:8, Jesus had to humble Himself and become “obedient” to follow God’s plan. In other words, Jesus wasn’t looking forward to the experience of death on a cross; instead, He made a choice to humble Himself and to go to any measure in order to accomplish the Father’s plan — our eternal redemption.

Questions to Discuss:

What can you learn from Jesus’ example of humility and obedience? When God asks you to do something that’s hard on your flesh, do you promptly obey Him to follow His plan?