Article written by Roger D. Campbell
The apostle Paul appealed to the saints of God in Philippi to reflect on the comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, and mercy. Such reflection could cause them to have lowliness of mind and be concerned about the interests/needs of others (Philippians 2:1-4).
Having laid that foundation, what was Paul’s next statement? “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Christians need to have the mindset/mentality/heart of our Lord.
In order to know His heart, we need to investigate what the Bible reveals about how He thought and interacted with others. We will find the great majority of such information in the gospel accounts.
Staying in the context of Philippians 2, Paul reminded the brethren that Jesus “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (2:7).
Before the Word became flesh and dwelt among humans, He was in heaven, sharing in the Father’s glory. He temporarily gave that up, becoming “poor” when He took on human form.
What benefit is that to us? Through His lowering Himself, His “poverty” allows us to be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus did not think He was “too good” to sacrifice or do things that benefit others.
Jesus invites all who labour and are heavy laden to come to Him, saying of Himself, “. . . I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). His lowly spirit was on full display throughout His life on earth.
Do you recall the manner in which He entered Jerusalem during the last week of His life? The Bible says of that occasion, “Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matthew 21:5).
A donkey was an animal used to carry burdens or provide transport for commoners, but not royalty. Jesus came into Jerusalem in humility.
The task of foot washing was assigned to the lowest servants. On the evening before His death, Jesus washed the feet of His apostles, showing them humility in action. He appealed to them to take His example to heart and imitate His spirit (John 13:3-17).
There is another aspect of the Christ’s humility which we must not overlook.
It is noted in Philippians 2:8: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” His humility led to obedience. To whom? To His Father, Who highly exalted Him (2:9).
One may be kind to everyone, but in order to show real humility in a biblical sense, one also must submit to the God of heaven. How much do you and I act like the humble Son of God?