Articles
The Best the World Has to Offer
Sometimes we marvel at Jesus’ humility by saying things like, “When Jesus came to earth He didn’t live in a palace” or “He didn’t wear royal robes” or “He wasn’t carried about in a gilded litter.” While these observations are true, who are we kidding? He left heaven to come here! Yes, He deserved the best, but the best this world has to offer – gold, ivory, silk, servants – can’t possibly hold a candle to His heavenly glory.
Note some ways in which Jesus showed a total lack of concern for earthly honor and privilege.
1. The Temple Tax. Peter was daunted by a question (better, an accusation) about Jesus not paying the temple tax (Mt 17:24-27). Peter answered rightly that He would, but he did so based on faulty rationale. So Jesus posed a question to open his mind: “‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their own sons or from strangers?’ Peter said to Him, ‘From strangers.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free.’” Jesus implies that He, as the Son of God, is not legally bound to pay the temple tax. “Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Not only did Jesus not insist on His “rights” (as the one who created everything in the first place), He willingly did what He was not obligated to do for the sake of those who would not understand His divine exemption.
This is instructive for those who dwell in a culture that demands its rights. If we aren’t very self-aware, we can fall into the same mindset and begin to think in terms of what we deserve, not what we owe or how we can serve or what the impact of our behavior might be on others.
2. A Seat of Honor. Jesus was invited to the home of a ruler of the Pharisees for a meal (Lk 14:1-6). It was a setup. If it was controversy they wanted, controversy they would get. Jesus challenged them about a man in their midst who was sick, whether it was lawful to heal him on the Sabbath. His cowardly foes wouldn’t even go on record with an answer. But after citing the precedent of delivering their donkey or ox from a pit on the Sabbath, Jesus heals the man.
But He wasn’t through with them. Luke adds, “So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places …” (14:7-11). We can only imagine the maneuvering, the shunting of others out of the way, the sideways glances to see who was edging toward the chief places. And all of this in front of the Son of God! What a sad spectacle! Not a word from Jesus about hurt feelings, for Jesus couldn’t have cared less about being honored by that bunch of hypocrites (Jn 5:41-44). However, He did offer the guests a piece of advice about decorum: it is best to wait for the host to assign your seat lest you choose a place above your station and be asked to move. “For whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (14:11).
Oh, yes, and one more bit of advice to his host who arranged the feast for his own selfish motivations: “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (14:12-14). Jesus was ever trying to turn the minds of men – both enemies and disciples alike – toward heaven.
3. Rejection by the Samaritans. Usually when someone famous comes to town the dignitaries roll out the red carpet, give the key to the city and brag about it for decades to come. But not the Samaritans of a certain town, who rejected Jesus “because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem” (Lk 9:53). To them, He was just another despised Jew. The reaction of James and John to this insult is probably reflective of our own pride: “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” (9:54). They veil their burning indignation behind the reference to Elijah. Don’t we do that sometimes – cite a Scriptural “justification” for the ungodly feelings we hold?
But Jesus is not so sensitive: “‘You do not know the manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ And they went to another village” (9:55-56). Jesus did not let His ego get in the way, for pride is born of insecurity, the need to prove that we are somebody because we’re afraid we aren’t. The best the world has to offer was not good enough for the Lord, but that was OK with Him. Is it OK with us?
