4/5/12- Humility of the Cross

44- 4/5- Maundy Thursday- WSC- 27

Q. 27- How did Christ humble himself?
A. Christ humbled himself by being born as a person and born to a poor family; by being made subject to the law;  by suffering through the miseries of this life; the wrath of God; and the curse of death on the cross; and by being buried and by allowing himself to die.

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Lk. 9:58)

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. (Isa. 53:3)

Thoughts: Christ humbled himself.  In becoming a human; in being born into a carpenter's home instead of a palace; in not having his own place to live; in obeying the laws that He had made and given; by suffering the problems of life (heartache, rejection, tiredness, hunger, thirst, etc.); dying a humiliating and unjust, torturing death, and burial as a humiliating seal to his death.  One of Christ's last free acts was to wash the feet of the disciples. The point he gave was "now that I your teacher and Lord have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet" (Jn. 13:14).  His point was not to wash feet, but to serve one another- being willing to humble ourselves before others in service. Jesus said if anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily (Lk. 9:23).  We live in a world that encourages us to see ourselves as the consumer and God as our servant.  It is a perspective change to see ourselves not only as God's servant, but also (for God's glory) the servant of others. G.K. Chesterton said, "The cross cannot be defeated for it is defeat."  But it was in humiliating defeat that victory was won for Christ.  When we humble ourselves before God and others we win as well. 

Prayer: Give me grace, O Lord, to humble myself before you, O Lord.