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Jesus said that his followers should be humble.  What did Jesus mean by “humble”?

‘Humble’ for modern English speakers means “having a low estimation of one’s importance” (Oxford English Dictionary).  But the Greek word used in Jesus’ time, and used in our New Testaments, carried a range of meanings including gentle, kind, mild, considerate, forgiving, generous and humane.  So when Jesus tells us to be humble, he is telling us to be gentle, kind, mild, considerate, forgiving, generous and humane.  From now on I’ll use the word “humble” (to save time), but remember it means gentle, kind, mild, considerate, forgiving, generous and humane.

Jesus said that his followers should be humble like little children – and it’s important to remember that little children had no status or importance at all in his day. He said that his followers should be servants of each other – and most servants had little or no importance.  Jesus said these things often: Matthew 18:1-5 (see also Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48), Matthew 19:13-14 (see also Mark 10:13-15; Luke 18:15-17), Matthew 20:25-28 (see also Mark 10:42-45), Matthew 23:11-12 (see also Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14).

Jesus didn’t just say that his followers should be humble.  He gave himself as the example of humble service he expected his disciples to follow (Matthew 11:29; Matthew 20:25-28; Matthew 21:5; Mark 10:45; John 13:3-15). So, being humble isn’t an option for followers of Jesus, it is a core requirement.  If we want to be like Jesus, we must be humble.  We must commit ourselves to being humble because Jesus tells us to be humble and because he set us the example of being humble.

Jesus said that we, his followers, are all equal.  “You have one teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8).  In Jesus’ church, no-one is more important than anyone else.

Being humble isn’t the way we are encouraged to behave in 21st Century Western culture.  In our culture we are encouraged to promote ourselves, be competitive, and make sure others see how clever, capable, and confident we are.  These things don’t seem to have anything to do with being gentle, kind, mild, considerate, forgiving, generous and humane – and they don’t.  Surely, if we are humble in our 21st Century Western culture, we will lose out. We will not be noticed.  We will be overtaken by others who are bold and promote themselves loudly.  How can we be humble and still get on in the world?  If we are followers of Jesus, we should not be trying to get on in the world.  We should be looking to serve in our loving heavenly Father’s kingdom. There is nothing to fear.  Our loving heavenly Father will take care of us.

We may have the idea that someone who is humble will not be noticed. I would suggest that, in today’s culture, someone who is genuinely humble will be noticed.  In fact, they will really stand out.  Also, a person who is genuinely humble will be a great team player.  Good bosses are always on the lookout for great team players.

How do we become more humble?  If we really want to be more humble, all we need do is pray.  All we need do is tell our loving Father we want to be more humble.  Then we watch what happens.  It probably won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.  Oh, and it may not be pleasant.  My own experience is that our loving heavenly Father answered my prayers that I would become more humble, but the way he answered those prayers involved me learning some unwelcome truths about myself.  That was not pleasant, but it was worth it.  Discovering truth is always worth it.

May our loving heavenly Father bless us, encourage us and lead us safely along the path he wants us to walk with him.

Peter O

 

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