Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)
The Humility of Our Savior
In my last couple of Christmas devotions, we have been focusing on the humility of Jesus. Jesus’ whole life was a display of humiliation. He was born in a manger to the virgin Mary, who was a peasant. He lived in the small town of Nazareth as a common person with a common profession as a carpenter. And during His ministry, when a scribe wished to follow Jesus, Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Jesus was essentially homeless during His ministry. One would never think a King would be homeless. Yet, Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, humbled himself and lived the life of a suffering servant.
Jesus’ humble birth led to His humble life, which led Him to His ultimate humiliation. Jesus died on the cross, the most painful and dishonorable manner of death reserved for the worst of criminals.
Yet, His humiliation brought Him to His ultimate glory. Because Jesus lived a perfectly obedient life to the point of death, even death on a cross, the Father exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-10) And as believers, by grace through faith in Christ, we are humbled before God and granted eternal life – the glorification of believers.
In His incarnation, Jesus’ glory was underneath the veil of human flesh. Although His glory was hidden throughout most of His life and ministry, He was still fully God. In His body was the fullness of deity (Colossians 2:9). His divine greatness as the Son of God was veiled by His humility as a man, who lived among us. He was Immanuel, “God with us.”
Although His glory was often veiled, there were times in His life and ministry when He let His glory temporarily shine through His humble veil. The greatest example in Scripture was when Peter, James, and John saw His transfiguration. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:1-13).
His glory had also shone through in places where people were not expecting it. There was an unveiling of His glory in the humbling setting of His birth. In Luke 2:8-9, an angel appeared to the shepherds nearby who had the tremendous privilege of viewing the most glorious light show ever – Baby Jesus was born, and He shone the light of His glory to all the shepherds who were gathered by. His glory was witnessed first-hand by the people who were considered to be the outcasts of society. Who could've ever predicted that people of such social status would be the chosen ones to witness the birth of the almighty God of the universe? These were exactly the ones who were given the glorious announcement of our Lord and Savior's birth. What a tremendous privilege and sight to behold!
Hallelujah! God’s great promise had arrived! The Savior of the world had come into the world to be a ransom for many, to seek and save the lost, to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance, to bind up the broken-hearted, to give liberty to the captives, to invite the weary and burdened to rest, to give grace to the humble, to be the light of the world, our blessed hope, our ultimate comfort, our supreme joy, and our greatest love. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:14)
God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (1 Peter 5:5-6)
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise You for the birth of Our Savior, Christ Jesus; the One who is our Great Redeemer, our Guiding Light, our Blessed Hope, and our Eternal Joy! Jesus is the Gift of all gifts, the Blessing of all blessings, and He is the Reason for the season! He is the Reason for every season, every day, every hour, and every second because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). And this week and always, we celebrate the birth of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11).
All glory belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, I pray Amen.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)