The Rewards of Humility
Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander
Passage: Luke 1: 39-56
The theme of the month of Kiahk is humility. The passage of today is another example of this. St Elizabeth, St Mary and St John the Baptist are all great examples of humility.
“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” – 1 Peter 5:5-6.
This is the roadmap to humility. If I want to be humble, let me start with the first natural opportunities I have every day. I can submit to my elders. For the children, be humble before your parents. We all must remember that we never stop being children to our parents, even to our 40s, 50s and beyond!
If you are a student, it is natural for you to be humble before your teacher. If you are a staff member, it is natural to be humble before those in authority. If you are a husband, it is natural for you to be humble before your wife. I can never really be humble unless I start with the natural opportunities I am given.
If as a student, I am arrogant when dealing with my teachers, or if as a child, I am arrogant with my parents, then how am I supposed to go beyond that and be humble with someone at the same place as me? More still, how could I be humble before those below me, as the Lord was?
If I want to be humble, do I first make the most of those natural opportunities? Do I shout back at my parents? Do I disregard the opinion of my boss?
Only when I learn to be humble to those above me, can I move on to the next stages of humility. St Peter then writes to be humble to one another. If I can’t be humble to my mum, how am I supposed to be humble to my sister? Make the most of the natural opportunities and then I will be empowered, by God’s grace, to be humble when it’s a bit harder to be humble to my sister who is older than me, and then even harder still to be humble to my brother who is perhaps younger than me.
If I can’t be humble to my parents then it is impossible to be humble to my siblings!
St Peter writes that we ALL be submissive to one another. We see that when St Mary went with HASTE to visit and take care of her cousin Elizabeth. Because St Mary was humble when she received the message from the archangel Gabriel, it was easy for her to be humble and rush to serve her cousin in her time of need.
If I am not humble, then I am less inclined to take opportunities to serve. St Peter then says to be CLOTHED with humility.
The depth of this lies when we consider the One that was clothed with humility? This was Jesus Himself at the Incarnation. The Creator, the Divine, God Himself, is clothed in humility when He comes down to earth to serve those whom He created. He came as an infant, lower than all. That is to be clothed with humility.
If I cannot submit myself before my elders, if I cannot submit myself to my siblings or co-workers, then how am I supposed to cloth myself with humility? How can I make myself of no reputation, as Christ did (Philippians 2)?
God was clothed with humility, He emptied Himself. He could have said, “I am the Creator, it is impossible for me to come as the created.” Yet He went beyond this and came as the created, and accepted mocking, whipping, slapping, all from whom He had created. How could He accept to born in a manger? How could He accept to run from the earthly king, Herod? He was clothed with humility and does not insist on His rights.
What about me? Do I question how others treat me? Do I question being kept waiting or the manner in which others speak to me? Or, am I clothed with humility?
Even though God is the Creator, He came, as a Man, and accepted, and was obedient till the point of death. If I want to accept this injustice patiently, as Christ did, I have to start with the natural opportunities to be humble. Then I can move on to be humble to those at the same level as me, from there, only then can I be humble where it seems impossible to humble. I can be humble when I am treated unfairly or when I am disrespected.
Why should we do this when it seems so difficult to achieve? For God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. When I don’t want to be humble because it is not fair, I remember that God gives grace to the humble, and resists the one that would react in pride.
St Mary also says, “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.” – Luke 1:51-52.
The proud are scattered, they are put down. It’s not as a punishment, but a wake-up call, an important lesson to return to the Lord. Some of the church fathers says that they must humble themselves, before God humbles them.
The promise of humility comes next- God will exalt the humble in due time. Nobody that has ever humbled themselves for the sake of the Lord has been left regretting their decision. If it is truly for the sake of the Lord that you humble yourself, that you accept ridicule or criticism, that you stay silent in the face of adversity, the promise remains- God will exalt you in due time.
St Mary continues, “He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.” – Luke 1:53.
If I come to the Lord hungry, then I know that He will fill me. If I come to the Lord thinking I am rich, I am already full then I leave empty. Not as a punishment, but because God cannot fill what is already full.