In a Marriott hotel ballroom, there were hundreds of people that gathered together to attend a national assembly of some of the most intelligent and powerful minds from around the country. While the seminar was going on, a very proud and energetic young man stood up and loudly said "I'm the smartest person in the world. In fact, I know every single word in this dictionary I have in my hand!" Then, one of the patrons in attendance pulls out their phone and says, “Okay, tell me the meaning of the words humility, charity, and patience." The now astonished and self-proclaimed genius replies, "Oh, so you're just gonna make up your own words now, are you?" He didn’t know what to say.
What definition do we give to the word humility? What does humility really look like? How can we be Victorious in being humbled? Do we define it as a genuine gratitude, a lack of arrogance, and a modest view of one’s self, or something more to the contrary; weak, lacking, loss of vitality or even something worse?
IN New Testament Greek, Humble (tap-i-no'-o) which means to make low, to humble. Webster’s dictionary defines humility as not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive, ranking low in a hierarchy or scale. Of all these words, ‘ranking low in a hierarchy or scale’ I find very striking to the heart of the matter, on this Palm Sunday, to what many people today proclaim Christ to be; something of no significance, NONE. But on this Palm Sunday, we are to remember and reflect on the Humble Lord and Savior, that came to the peoples of the world as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, savior, messiah, and the great redeemer; that rode his way into Jerusalem, the great prophetic city of God, and even in our hearts and lives today, on a humble beast, a donkey.
As Jesus rides the humble donkey into our lives, He offers salvation, hope and love; not as a conquering military leader or a pristine president or monarch, but a most humble savior that has come to ‘serve, and not to be served.’
Riding on a donkey is not a new concept here. In Judges 5 and 1 Kings, it was a known practice as it was with King David’s son, Solomon, who rode his fathers own mule, in the company of Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet. It’s a genuine and true display of humility even amidst mighty rulers.
Humility friends is a critical and continuous emphasis on godliness in the Bible. Believe it or not, we, whom follow Christ, are called upon to be humble followers and servants and trust in the wisdom and salvation of God. True humility is seeing ourselves as we truly are, fallen in sin and helpless without God. The Psalm tells us "He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way."
As we start our journey today on this Palm Sunday, we are to remember and reflect upon Christ’s entrance into the great city of Jerusalem; city of God. Just to note, just prior to Jesus entering Jerusalem, He had a crowd of people following Him as they witnessed Him healing two blind men.
Upon arriving, Jesus instructed His disciples to find a certain colt at a certain location, “The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”
One thing worth mentioning here, is this Triumphal entry of Jesus was recorded in all four Gospels, with very little difference in their experience of it. So what is so important about Jesus’s entry, Palm Sunday so important to us today? Think about this, after you get beyond describing the parade, the branches and cloaks thrown at Jesus feet, the excitement, the hosannas, what is significant and life-changing in this event?
Well, lets look at two pieces of the story. First, Jesus is entering not just the city of Charles Town, Martinsburg or even Washington DC, He is entering Gods ancient city, dedicated to literally thousands of years of Gods great promises, full of His prophets and followers. It is also to note here that early in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declared his full intention to go to Jerusalem, it just wasn’t time yet, until now. From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. Jesus gave a clear vision that it was a prophetic event that is going to happen, in order to fulfill Gods promise. The whole city was “shaken” by His entry. The whole city was confronted with a decision to make. What will we do with a Messiah who ushers in peace and not war? How will we respond?
And Secondly, Gods promise of a messiah, the savior of the sinful world, is entering the great city of God, through its mighty gates, in the most humblest of ways. Can you just imagine yourself on the side lines, waving your palm branches, your coats and saying loudly “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”
Listen to the words of the prophet Zachariah, “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This was the ancient prophet declaring The Messiah entering the great city in the most humblest of ways.
What an awesome spectacle to witness, the entrance of a mighty king not on a white charger, but on a lowly beast of burden, not on a horse as a symbol of power, but on a colt or donkey as a symbol of humility; as even told by the ancient prophets. To help give you a perspective on just how powerful a movement this scene was, the victorious entry of a humble savior, we read some logistical information from the words of Josephus, a 1st century Jewish scholar that wrote about Jesus and the History of Jerusalem.
He tells that Cestius, governor of Palestine round about A.D. 65, 30 years after Christ death and resurrection, had some difficulty in persuading Nero of the great importance of the Jewish religion. To impress him, he asked the then High Priest to take a census of the lambs slain at the Passover in one year. The number, according to Josephus, was 256,500. The law was that there must be a minimum party of ten people to one lamb, so that there must have been close on 3,000,000 pilgrims in Jerusalem. The most interesting fact about this also is Jerusalem’s population was approximately 200,000. Where did the remaining 2 plus million come from? All around the ancient world. Jesus made a huge impact on the fallen world didn’t He; He did so by doing something we today are instructed to do regularly. Preach the good news, the Gospel, to every creature, proclaim liberty through Christ, just as Christ enters the lives of so many people, even during His day on earth, and arrive as a mighty savior, everlasting father, prince of peace, all the while riding on one of the most humblest of beasts, a donkey!
But you know, there is one sad thing about Jesus triumphant entry! When the city officials asked who this person was riding into Jerusalem with such acclamation, do you know what the crowd said? Listen to verse 10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.””
Not the son of David, Not the messiah, the Savior and Lord of all people. And it is these same people, that proclaimed their verbal testifying to witnessing Christ life, His miracles, His testimonies, His proclamations, these same people will turn on Him in just a few days; to help nail Him to the cross.
When it comes to the word ‘humble’, it is hard to pin it down into a tangible and even useable word in today’s culture, not to mention the ancient world. While we all should and do recognize Christ, the son of the living God, that came to save all mankind, we see Him as a beacon of hope, a victory in the humble; as in just a few days, Christ will face arrest, betrayal, denial, tried, mocked and finally put to death, all the while fulfilling Gods ultimate plan; Christ freely and willing gave His life for each of us, so that we may live from hell, death and the grave, which all has been conquered. If you think about it, Christ gives ‘quality’ its meaning. Christ from the very beginning, lives out His short life on this earth in his vocation to be the Son of God, refusing to come down from the cross, saving others and not himself, trusting only in God. Signs and symbols of humility.
Friends, for us to give claim that Christ is our Lord and Savior, it is not about control or domination, or even grinding our enemies into the dust. Its all about being obedient to the divine calling each of us are to accept as God’s ambassadors, Gods Saints (Chosen). Christ came to die for us; Christ accepted His role as God’s suffering son. In the garden of Gethsemane, the Gospels tells us Christ not only asked God to take this burden away from him, He asked God twice, while sweating drops of blood. It is something no one wants to harness in their minds, that you are about to be crucified, with the most excruciating pain. Be denied, mocked and so much more, all for the sake of others, not yourself!
Finding victory in the humble friends is a scene we each need to encounter. As the psalmist tells us in ch. 25, "He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way."
Get this, we ONLY need Gods humble approval, not mans.
When a man asked George Mueller the secret of his service, Mueller responded: “There was a day when I died, utterly died; died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends; and since then I have studied to show myself approved only to God.”
Friends, the importance of humility is directly related to the deadly consequences of pride. Pride separates us from God as we do not acknowledge and appreciate the eternal sovereignty of our Lord. Scripture tells us “Pride precedes destruction.” Humility is important in the deep gratitude we hold in properly recognizing God's divinity and love for us. Humility's importance is also found in recognizing our flawed nature as humans on earth and our susceptibility to sin if not vigilant against temptation. "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8.
Humility is frequently mentioned in scripture as it relates to our salvation in Jesus Christ. And here are five items to reflect on showing great significance of being humble in our relationship with God:
First, Peter tells us, To enter God’s presence, we must come humbly to the throne: 1 Peter 5:6.
Second, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, the meek shall inherit the earth: Matthew 5:5.
Third, James tells us, The proud are cast down and will be humbled: James 4:10.
Fourth, Pauls second letter to Timothy tells us, When we are humbled or even when we suffer, we need to remember we will ultimately reign with Christ: 2 Timothy 2:12.
Fifth, Pauls letter to the people of Philippi tells us, Jesus even humbled Himself. Therefore, we should also have the mind of humility: the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5-11.
Today friends, I urge you to seriously gain insight and learn of Christ as he enters Jerusalem; as He enters your life. Do you claim Christs victory in your life today? Has His victory over sin gained your trust in Him today? Has Christ been a victor in your life, to reign as Lord and Savior today? From this victory, is your name written in the Lambs book of Life this very day? I pray it is yes without hesitation. IF you have questions, if you have doubt, we can start this journey together, in finding the new life in victory, no matter who you are or where you are. All you have to do, seek only Gods approval by asking him.! Friends, with your whole heart, and in company with one another as one body of Christ, join with me the hymn of everlasting love that proclaims the good news of Christ as we openly declare to all people the God of all creation has come to save us.
POWERPOINT - Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, join me in our prayer of confession.