The King's Children Are Humble

Introduction

Each generation has individuals which make a mark in our society. These individuals are often obscure until through an event or series of events they come into the limelight. Such a person was Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia in 1897 and through a series of events became one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Her contralto voice was considered by many to be the best voice to come along in the last 100 years. As a singer, her career lasted over 40 years and during that time there were many firsts for her. You see, Marian Anderson was African American. Her talent was not always appreciated in a white majority society. As a young girl, her father was killed in an accident and she, her siblings, and mother supported by family made it through.

In an interview in the 1950s, Anderson was asked to describe the best moment of her career. And she had numerous great moments: the night that Toscanini told her that a voice like hers only came once every 100 years; the night that she sang in a private concert for the president and dignitaries at the White House; the day she was recognized as one of the great representatives for the city of Philadelphia; the day in 1939 in which she sang in front of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 75,000 including all the upper echelon of Washington, D.C. and to a radio crowd across the nation. She chose none of those events. The day and event she chose was one which no one would have guessed. Anderson said it was the day she told her mother that she would no longer have to take in laundry to make ends meet.

Humility. True humility comes from a confidence about who God is in your life with no need to prove yourself otherwise. While we see humility without a spiritual dimension in our world, the real humility comes from the child of the King who wants nothing more than for God to be seen and revealed in our lives. As children of the King, our main concern is that God be seen in his greatness and glory. We cannot make God look good and ourselves look good at the same time. In our text this morning, Jesus speaks about humility from a perspective which helps us to see our faults first. Seeing ourselves accurately leads to how we treat others.

Continuation

Jesus continues the thought from the previous section. Let’s get the context. Reminding the hearers that God rewards in secret, Jesus clarifies that this reward is spiritual. To pursue the treasures of this earth believing that they can bring ultimate security is to miss God’s reward. In fact, anxiety is a sign of our misplaced priorities. Jesus says his followers are concerned about the reign of God. We want God’s kingdom to be seen in its power. Our anxiety distracts from how others see God’s kingdom. Stay focused on revealing God’s reign in this world.

This leads into the next thought. Seeking God’s rule in this world means that we gain a clearer vision for this world. Anxiety detracts from that vision. So does our inability to see our own sin clearly. While the word “righteousness” is not used in this section, the idea permeates the text. Jesus says that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. No superficiality allowed. Genuine righteousness is interested in seeking the reign of God in this world.

This means that when we look at others we refrain from judging them. This may be the most often misquoted text in the Bible. Jesus says to not judge another person. But that is not all he says. There are two primary ways in which we judge. One is to discern right from wrong. Surely Jesus isn’t telling us not to discern between right and wrong actions. The other form of judgment is to condemn another in an act of self-righteous criticism. Verse 2 helps us to understand that this is the meaning that Jesus has in mind. To judge another harshly is to judge ourselves harshly. The attitude we have toward another will be the same attitude God takes toward us.

To see ourselves as superior to another is to judge with pride. To judge one person by one standard and ourselves by another is to be judgmental. This is the intent of the text. Our righteousness must treat others with mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus gives the example of dirt in the eye. It was intended to elicit laughter. It is intended to be funny and exaggerated. A speck of dust in one man’s eye causes concern, but we do not see the beam in our own eye. This beam was the support of a building. We see a man who has a flaw and criticize his inability to rid himself of this malady. We even offer to help him to make him better. At the same time, we do not notice the enormity of our own flaw. Jesus says “work on yourself before you start working on someone else.”

Application

While our culture tries to force this section to mean that we are not even to discern between right and wrong, this is not what Jesus has in mind. The point is simply stated — do not look down on another person believing yourself to be superior. To do so is to condemn them and such an attitude will result in your being judged in the same way. Jesus’ words have to do with our attitude and our attempt to reflect the character of God in this world.

To be accepting of another means that we have to take a hard look at ourselves first. We have to be willing to admit that our imperfection doesn’t leave room for spiritual smugness. When you find yourself thinking or saying out loud “I would never do that.” Stop! We have to recognize that one person’s failure may not be ours but it doesn’t make us superior. Because we have our own failures.

Maybe pornography is not an issue with you and you can’t imagine how anyone would get drawn into that. But you would cheat on your spouse by thinking of another. Maybe you can’t imagine how someone could lie, but then you find yourself fudging on your work time. Listening to Tim Russert’s book “Wisdom of Our Fathers,” he tells the story of the factory workers who 10 minutes before clock out time would go and wash their hands and then clock out. But one man refused to follow. He worked till quitting time and then washed his hands. Why? Because they did not pay him to wash his hands.

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