Offended by Humility

In humility we take the path that the Lord has 
placed before us -- even when we don't 
know where it will lead.

Scripture:

Luke 7:18   The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ²⁰ When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” ²¹ Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. ²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. ²³ And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

Observation:

John was in captivity and only received reports from his disciples as to Jesus’ activity. Even John had anticipated a little more of a fiery response from Jesus — and may have even thought he’d be able to free him. His disciples approached Jesus and asked whether he was the one they had awaited — or whether there was another one coming. 

Instead of answering them directly, Jesus showed them who he was - and the type of Messiah the he would be. He had great power over the myriad of infirmities of this world. He preached the good news to the poor, which was a miracle in and of itself. What he was showing them was that his life was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah, but all of this done with great humility. It was his humility that was their stumbling block. 

Luke ends this section with another “beatitude:” “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Blessed are those who are not offended by Jesus’ humility. He would never succumb to becoming the kind of fiery Messiah that others may have thought, but he would quietly and humbly fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. 

Application:

Throughout life there have been moments when I have had particular expectations from the Lord. I’m sure we all have. We want a prayer answered in a particular way, and we have been disappointed by the response. While we read and study about the humility of Christ, we are just as guilty as others as wanting Jesus to do big magical things. The reality of Jesus is actually much greater than what we imagine, for he is the fulfillment of all that is needed for humanity. 

The humility of Christ is what brought him to earth in human form. Jesus was willing to give up being in the form of God, to be born as a human. This is true humility, using your power for the good of others. Jesus shared his power with the sick, diseased, blind and deaf. Those who suffered from chronic illnesses were also poor, so Jesus went to them. 

Where do we find Jesus today? Is he in our big beautiful churches away from the poor neighborhoods, or are the churches empty, while Jesus is present with those in the most need? Are we offended by Jesus because he’s visiting in the poorest hospital in town, or in the neighborhood with the most gunfire, or in the country with the lowest GDP in the world? Maybe we would be right there with John, wondering why Jesus isn’t setting the place on fire and fighting for our rights! 

We may be wanting something from Jesus that is far from his character. The humility of Jesus just might be offensive because we want him to fight, and not go minister to the poor. Jesus’ life sets before us an example which we are to follow. To become Christlike disciples is to imitate the humility of Christ, and that will take us to the margins of society. Go, tell others what you have seen the Christians doing — for they are ministering to the least of these in the name of Jesus!

Prayer:

Lord, help me to live into your humility and follow you to the margins. Amen.