Based on Micah 6:1-8, 1Corinthians 1:19-25, Matthew 5:1-12
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “humility” in this way: “freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble”. In fact, most dictionaries list the word pride as the opposite of humility. In our day and age, we often see people who are prideful try to suggest that they are really humble. It makes me think of the Mac Davis song, “O Lord, It’s Hard to be Humble” – remember it? The chorus says, “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way…” The chorus ends with the words, “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble, but I’m doing the best that I can!”
It is difficult to be humble in a world that values being in the spotlight and receiving the most “clicks” or greatest number of “views” – a world that values and follows the loudest and most arrogant voice. It seems to me that many have forgotten what it means to live a life that embodies the virtue of humility. Humility, the act of being humble, is seen by the “powers and principalities of the world” as being weak and irrelevant. Yet, the most powerful and relevant person who ever lived, Jesus the Messiah, was quite humble. Dr. Anna Katharina Schaffner writes about the power of humility stating, “…But humility has nothing to do with meekness or weakness. And neither does it mean being self-effacing or submissive. Humility is an attitude of spiritual modesty that comes from understanding our place in the larger order of things. It entails not taking our desires, successes, or failings too seriously…Adopting a more humble mindset increases our overall psychological wellbeing and ensures our social functioning. Last but not least, humility is a perfect antidote to the self-fixated spirit of our age….”
The Bible contains much to help us understand and learn to live with humility. The opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth continues with Paul recounting the power of Jesus’ humble obedience to God’s plan for his resurrection. Paul states that though the world understands the death of God on a human torture device to be foolishness, they miss the point of Jesus’ humility. That humble obedience is what allowed God’s wisdom of love conquering death to become reality.
Jesus’ seminal teaching of the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel is a masterclass in how to live with humility and thus reap God’s blessings. Chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew’s Gospel lay out how a humble follower of Jesus is to live and interact with the world. Christian humility is on display when we comfort those who mourn, work for righteousness for all of creation, give to the needy, do not judge others, ask God for what we need, keep our hearts pure and focused on God, work toward peace in our lives and world, and understand that the worldly powers will not agree with our approach and will persecute and try to silence our witness. Those who walk with God in humility need not worry about anything if they seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.
One of the most loved and quoted Bible passages is our reading today from the prophet Micah. The prophet has been relaying the word of God to God’s people and what God wants from them (versus what they think God desires). Retired Pastor Scott D. Anderson unpacks the prophecies of Micah, writing, “…What makes Micah's witness memorable is that the emphasis falls on the saving action of God. Predicting military conquest at the hands of a foreign power fueled by aristocratic corruption in Judah, Micah foresees a time of peace when nations will beat their swords into plowshares (3:9–4:4) and a new kind of ruler will come - from Bethlehem (5:2). Micah's contemporary prophecy follows an ancient pattern of salvation history: the Israelites too were delivered from slavery and crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land (6:3 - 5). For Micah, God's initiative, though painful and messy, ends on a high note…
Another characteristic of Micah's prophecy is his cogent description of the sanctified life that flows from God's saving action: justice, which is the work for fairness and equality, with special concern for the powerless; mercy or kindness, a divine quality rooted in covenantal faithfulness and unmerited love; and humility, which is a deliberate, careful walk with God shaped by God's desires and will.
These three qualities of divine expectation are not three separate paths of discipleship, as if there were a division of labor in the community of faith between justice doers, mercy lovers and humble walkers-in-the-faith. This is no neat three-point sermon; rather, the combination of the three qualities in one crisp sentence suggests some interplay and interdependence. Doing justice must include being merciful. A humble walk with God must embody justice. Justice, mercy and humility are inextricably linked, forming a holistic, dynamic lifestyle that sends us out into a world that God continues to redeem….”
Rev. Anderson said a lot when he noted that humility is a deliberate and careful walk with God, which is shaped or informed by God’s desires and will. If we are trying to get God to do what we want, then we are not walking with God in a way that is humble. If we are trying to buy God off, like the verses before verse 8 of Micah, then we are not walking humbly, nor are we interested or focused on God’s understanding of mercy and justice. This should be our epiphany in this season. That revelation should cause us to stop and assess just what it is we are doing in our spiritual walk – both as individual Christians and as part of the Body of Christ.
John Wesley stated clearly that everything we need to live and grow into our salvation is found in the Bible. In my mind and in my experience, there is nothing more profound or transformative than spending time with prophets like Micah and with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, for these texts echo and amplify each other. Both of these texts offer us a clear path to a deeper and more profound relationship with God and with all of creation. The problem is that they are very challenging to implement in our lives today.
Humility is a way of life that is not valued by the worldly voices that are so prideful and persistent – that is why it is so challenging. Nowhere outside of the teachings of Jesus do you hear a group telling you that God’s blessings come from humility. You won’t find that teaching anywhere except in the Bible, your prayer life and deep in your own heart. For that’s where humility resides and from where it empowers a life of justice, which is the work for fairness and equality, with special concern for the powerless; mercy or kindness, a divine quality rooted in covenantal faithfulness and unmerited love; and humility, which is a deliberate, careful walk with God shaped by God's desires and will. Humility, justice and mercy, the holy trinity of Christian discipleship – may God lead us all to live our lives this way. Amen!