Confident Humility

When we remember that Jesus reigns, we don’t need to fight for position or power.

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:3-5).

Photo by Simon Buchou on Unsplash

What is so astounding in these verses is not merely that the Son of God, sent by God, lowered himself to washing the nasty feet of his disciples. It is why he did it, the basis on which he did it–because he knew his Father had given him all things. Jesus' humility was due to his total confidence in who he was as God’s  Son and as the ruler of the universe. And we need the same confidence in Jesus to exude the same humility.

When we gain robust confidence in our Lord, our Brother, our Friend, our Savior, that’s when we can take the low position and the gentle stance. When we remember that Jesus reigns, we don’t need to fight for position or power. We have the assurance of his victory, so we can rest easy in the face of opposition and return kindness for vitriol and patience for abuse. 

In Christ we have a completely upended understanding of power and worth so that we can define it all by Jesus and his accomplishments. We no longer need to measure ourselves or others by what the world says is great. We don’t need to feign humility or falsely lower ourselves. Rather we can have peace and confidence about who we are in Jesus because he defines our worth and our future. And that means we can interact with the world in total love and gentleness and meekness and humility.