Humility
Dr. John K. Mathew
It was a
Sunday. History refers to it is the Palm Sunday.
Jesus
Christ, the King of kings and Lord of Lords traveled to Jerusalem on a colt.
It was the
fulfillment of a prophecy foretold by Zechariah. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter
Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your King comes to you; righteous
and victorious is he, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a
donkey”. (9:9). What a profound example of humility! He was gentle, righteous
and victorious, yet humble!
The greatest
example of humility in all of human history is the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is
humility? According to Andrew Murray, "humility is perfect quietness of
heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to
feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and
when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I
can go in shutting the door and kneel to my father in secret, and am at peace
as in a deep sea of calmness when all around and above is trouble.” To practice
this on a personal level is not easy. Yes, humility is one of the most
difficult virtues to cultivate in our life especially in a culture that
idolizes people who make it big
Jesus Christ the very best example ever for humility invites people to follow Him, not to be arrogant or hypocrites but gentle and humble. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy and my burden UMILITY is light”. Matt. 11: 28-30). It is not easy to be humble in heart. It takes prayer, practice, and patience!. But it is not impossible.
Dr. David
Jeremiah provides a remarkable example from the life of Theodore Roosevelt the
twenty-sixth president of the United States of America. It was his habit when
he entertained guests in the White House to take them to the back of the lawn
when the day was over. He would gaze up into the sky and tell his guests to do
the same. After looking up to the innumerable stars scattered across the vast
black nothingness of space for a couple of minutes, he would say, “Gentlemen, I
believe we are small enough now. Let’s go to bed”. True. Isn’t it?
