No Study of humility can possibly be complete without a consideration of he supreme example of the Lord Jesus. We can learn much from Moses, from his meekness, his loving, forgiving spirit, his deep sense of service to the Lord God and to his fellow Israelites. But as we have had occasion to remind ourselves, Moses faltered. Our Lord never did. While it is true his human spirit temporarily recoiled before the prospect of the cross, he overcame even this daunting challenge and prayed that God’s will should be done and not his own — and this he did at Calvary. (Related articles by Bro. Tom have appeared in 1997 pp. 138,258,295,414; 1998 pp. 85,454; 1999 pp. 56,143,181,264,305.)
Christ “emptied himself’
It seems inevitable that when we are contemplating the humility of the Lord Jesus, we should thus be brought to the foot of the cross. It is there that the great apostle brings us in Philippians 2 in what must be regarded as a supreme reflection upon the humility of the Lord Jesus. This truly great passage in Paul’s letter we hope to consider more fully in due course. For the moment we focus on one thought only – he “made himself of no reputation” as the AV quaintly renders the Greek in verse 7. The RV, however, brings out the force and point of the original — he “emptied himself.” What a simple, but powerful comment upon the whole career of our Lord we find in the word “emptied.” Human nature can be so full of what is ugly and displeasing. Modern communication serves to expose us continually to much that is cruel and violent, indeed barbaric. Paul lists for us the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 and they do not make pleasant reading. It was of all these that the Lord divested himself when he “emptied himself.”
This reflection needs to be considered in the light of John 1:14 (RV as all quotes): “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” This raises the question, How could our Lord be “full” of grace and truth unless he first emptied himself? The latter was a necessary preliminary – the Lord had to eschew all forms of carnality, all that disfigures and defiles our nature. This he did completely and therein lies the wonder of his life and character. When Jesus laid down his life on the cross, he was a lamb without blemish (cf. Exodus 12:5). The self-emptying, however, was not a single act, although it found its consummation upon the cross. It was a process and the study of this is what we shall endeavor to explore.
Learning obedience
We know that by the age of twelve our Lord was aware of his unique relationship to his Father, for he refers to Him as “my Father” (Luke 2:49). His life’s aim was, even at this early age, to be active in his Father’s service (again Luke 2:49). Then, as always, this governed all his human relations and gave them a unique quality Hence Luke informs us that after the episode in the temple, the boy Jesus returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and was subject unto them ‘ (v:51)
In normal circumstances the consciousness of high” birth or high social connections can separate a person from his fellows There was no trace of this kind of pride in the Lord Jesus He was obedient to the commands he received and he would not insist upon his own way Provided there was no conflict between his duty to his Father and what was required by his parents, he would invariably do what was asked of him He would thus be learning obedience Here surely is a lesson for us all Too of ten we find excuses or pretexts for not responding to helpful suggestions or requests for help
John’s baptism
While unquestionably the long years at Nazareth, extending from the age of 12 to about 30 (ct Luke 2 42 and 3 23) were a vital part of our Lord’s preparation for his ministry, we now pass over them to concentrate on his attitude to John’s baptism John himself saw the incongruity of the whole situation when Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized Initially John resisted the request, declaring that it would be more becoming if the Lord baptized him.
We have no difficulty understanding why, John’s was a baptism of repentance on the part of the sinner, leading to forgiveness Why, then, did this uniquely sinless man require baptism?
Superficially there is a theological problem, but not so for the Lord Jesus. He knew that John’s baptism was from heaven and that the word of God had come to him in the wilderness (see Matt 21:25, Luke 3 1-2) The answer which overcame John’s reluctance must he our guide, For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15) We note that Jesus mentions us ‘ He does not distance himself from the rest of his fellows What God required of mankind at large, Jesus regarded as binding upon himself He was born under the law (Gal 4:4), and the requirements of the law were scrupulously carried out by Mary Jesus was circumcised the eighth day and Mary observed those Mosaic requirements for the birth of a male child (see Lev 12:14)
Reason for Jesus’ baptism
It our Lord had no sins to confess, he was nevertheless subject to temptation and he would see in baptism a cutting off of the flesh with all its lusts and affections Baptism was thus a figure of the cross and the two concepts are wonderfully brought together by Paul in Romans 6 (see vv 3-4) Indeed, our Lord himself uses the figure of baptism to describe his forthcoming death, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished” (Luke 12:50 see also Mark 10:38)
It in the garden of Gethsemane, there was no attempt by our Lord to influence his Father by invoking his blameless life, so it was on the banks of Jordan His baptism at the hands of John was an act of humility and submission, a response to God’s way of salvation That it gave his Father pleasure is shown in two ways First, there was the voice from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (see also Luke 3 22) A further token of the Father’s approval with His obedient Son was the gift of the spirit whereby he was especially equipped for the work to come.
Jesus was tempted
We may thus learn much from the record of our Lord’s baptism It demonstrates his humanity and his humility It we needed any convincing evidence that the Lord had known temptation during those silent years in Nazareth, we have it surely in the tact that immediately after his anointing by the spirit (see Acts 10 38), he was tempted in the wilderness, and not only then but throughout his human experience He experienced temptation in all aspects similar to us, yet was sinless (see Heb 4:15).
The moving record of Gethsemane, especially Luke’s account (see Luke 22:44), shows that he was tried to the end When he died upon the cross, human nature, which he bore in his own body with all its potential for sin, was put to death and the Lord passed beyond the reach of sin, “For the death that he died, he died unto sin once but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God” (Romans 6:10).
Humble submission to baptism
Our own baptism is an act of humility, or should be a recognition that we need God’s help and, in our case, His forgiveness Many, while professing to be followers of the Lord balk at baptism They do not see the necessity of this ritual This is regrettable it the Lord saw the need to submit to John’s baptism in order to fulfil all righteousness, there can surely be no hesitation on our part Yet it should not engender any sense of superiority If so, we may well wonder whether we have really understood that it is an act of humble and grateful submission to God’s will, bringing us thus under the dominion of God’s grace in Christ.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One