The Example We Follow

Matthew 23:11-12 (NRSV): The Example We Follow

The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There are three instances other than this moment in Matthew 23 where Jesus teaches the importance of humility over exaltation. We see it in Luke 14:11, Luke 18:14, and Matthew 20:26. In each context, Jesus addresses people who are misguided about the role of human interaction and service, people who feel that rank and position offer privilege and exaltation above others. Jesus, however, both teaches and exemplifies the opposite.  

Jesus teaches that in the kingdom of God, service is foremost. In Christ, we live to offer our talents and strengths in service to others. And at first glance, this may seem like we are to spend our lives serving others in a soup kitchen or deploying to a foreign country where communities are in need of basic necessities such as food, water, and education. This line of service may be the case for some people, but not for the majority of us. So how do we discern our role in the Body of Christ as humble servants?

We are to abandon the attitude of rank and privilege. All of life’s achievements equip us to better serve others; they do not serve to exempt us from or exalt us above anyone or anything.

We are to abandon the attitude of entitlement. Nothing we do in this world makes us deserving of the blessings we receive. All the gifts we are given are products of God’s grace and goodness. We are called to cooperate with God’s love and radiate it out to those we meet day-to-day. Entitlement opposes humility.

We are to embrace the living example of God who became human because of his eternal love for each one of us. This same God lit the dark sky with the brilliance of stars, planets, and galaxies. This same God created the canyons, seas, and sunsets of our world. This same God wove humanity in his image and likeness, to love and care for the other no matter who they are. This same God willingly carried his own instrument of execution to a hilltop where he would suffer public torture, insult, defamation, nakedness, and death. It was this same God, Jesus Christ, who cried out to his father in tears of abandonment as he asphyxiated on the cross, dying among criminals, so that we could live.

Love counters rank and entitlement, for “all who humble themselves will be exalted.” We are called to live each day offering our best to the person in front of us. So let’s smile more, laugh often, share with abandon, help without hesitation, express joy, and be kind and forgiving.

Loving God, please grant us the grace to be humble, allowing us to serve and love our neighbor as ourselves for the love of you. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan