Palm Sunday Passion Sunday March 20, 2016
Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday
Philippians 2:5-11 & Matthew 27:11-54
March 20, 2016
‘Down to Earth’ God
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Humility is one of those things that we all think we have. And at the same time we all think most other people don’t have it. In other words, I’m a humble person but most other people are kinda arrogant and full of themselves. Of course, how can we really be all that humble if we’re always thinking we’re better at humility than others? That’s really not humility at all then, is it? The truth, of course, is that every single one of us leans heavily toward pride. If we’re always talking about humble we are, then we probably aren’t all that humble. We all tend to be “full of ourselves.”
Today we heard the relatively long account of Jesus’ Passion, so my message for you today is going to be briefer than usual. It’s simply about humility. Paul’s words from Philippians 2 that we heard today talk about Jesus’ humility. “He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He teaches us what real humility is. And Paul says that we, too, should have that mind of humility. So it will probably help us if we know what humility really is. And not just that we think we’re pretty humble.
Humility is an English word that we got from the Latin and it comes from the root humus, which means earth. So humility in English has this idea of being grounded to the earth. We use the expression “down to earth”. She’s really a “down to earth” gal. That’s a compliment. It means you’re humble. It means you’re not floating around with your head in the clouds thinking you’re higher than everybody else.
In Greek, the word is similar. It means “brought low” or “leveled off”. So when the Scriptures say the hills will be brought low, the word is “humbled”. The hills will be humbled, in other words. Sometimes that word is combined with the word for “mind” so that the literal idea is a “leveled-off-mind”. We say “he’s level-headed.” That’s the idea of humility.
So you should be getting this picture of humility as knowing our correct posture. Not trying to stand up taller than I really am or float up into the clouds. Also not hunching over or crouching down lower than I should. It’s staying grounded and level right at the place and height that God has placed us. Not thinking we’re far up higher than everyone else. Not thinking we must grovel at the feet of everyone else. Having a leveled-off mind that knows where we stand and stays grounded there.
Now pride then, of course, is the direct enemy of humility. Pride is when we lose our grounding, forget about gravity, and float up way above everyone else. Pride is such a devil that we even want to float up to heaven and become our own gods. That’s the sin that, in fact, was the devil’s. He forgot his place and wanted to be god. So God cast him down from heaven. And in the Garden of Eden, the devil got Adam and Eve with pride. Told them they could be “like God”. You also might remember the Tower of Babel. The people literally, very literally, tried to climb up into the heavens and become god. Pride, as C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, is the anti-God. Pride is us forgetting our grounding and our place and floating up to be our own gods.
Now Jesus is the direct opposite of our pride. He doesn’t float up into heaven and try to become God. He is God! And in His great humility and love, He made Himself a “down to earth” God. He made Himself nothing and put His two feet right here square on the same earth that you and I walk on. He grounded Himself right here in our sin and suffering and death. He, although He was God, stood here on earth with us and became our servant. He was obedient to His Father to the point of death on the cross.
Look at how Jesus doesn’t elevate Himself above us but grounds Himself as our servant. He meets with His twelve disciples on Maundy Thursday evening and He serves them. He washes their feet. He serves the meal and gives them the Lord’s Supper. When He is arrested in the middle of that night, He goes willingly. He doesn’t try to cut off somebody’s ear like Peter. He serves the soldiers and guards.
When He stands before the High Priest, He doesn’t yell at him and tell them all how evil they are. He answers their questions and submits to their lies. When He goes before Pilate, He respects Pilate’s authority. He listens. He answers. He obeys. When He is dying on the cross and one of the criminals begs for mercy, Jesus says He’ll take him to paradise that very day. When Jesus sees His mother standing by the cross, He makes sure John will take care of her. Jesus is our “down to earth” God. Our humble God. Who comes right here to serve you with His Word and with His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. He doesn’t have His head in the clouds. His head is right here with you. Serving you. Loving you. Giving His Holy Spirit to you. Forgiving you.
Paul says that you I should have that mind of Jesus Christ. That mind that doesn’t only think of ourselves, floating into the clouds to put ourselves higher than others. So let’s start with this: “Lord, have mercy.” “Lord, forgive my pride.” Repent of your pride and receive the mind of Jesus Christ. Receive His Holy Spirit. Have that mind that stays grounded in this: that you are God’s child. That you are forgiven. That you have eternal life. That you are loved.
Keep your two feet on the ground with Jesus so that you may serve your neighbor and He has served you. That you may lift up your neighbor who is falling and strengthen your neighbor who is standing. That, in all things, you may have the humble mind of Christ.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.