Once I was asked by a Senior Pastor who I was serving with on staff a question that I had not thought about before.  That question was, “out of all of the attributes of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest?”  This took me a bit to think about.  I was wracking my brain trying to think of all of the attributes of Jesus.  This, by the way, is an amazing exercise.  Focusing on His attributes will help you adore Jesus.  You will be strengthened in your love for Him.  As I was feeling the anxiousness of answering a question from my boss and trying to get the right answer, I concluded that the greatest attribute of Jesus was His humility.  I was quite shocked and yet a good deal satisfied when this pastor told me that he agreed with me.  He also felt that the greatest attribute of Jesus Christ is His humility. 

Let me take you on a little journey to demonstrate to you my reasoning.  First, we need to understand who Jesus is?  In Colossians 1:16 we are told that Jesus was the creator of all things.  “For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.” 

The Gospel of John concurs with this in John 1:3, “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”  And who is capable of creating the heavens and earth other than God Himself?  John 1:1 makes this clear, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Jesus being God and also being the creator of the heavens and the earth was in control of all things.  All of this creation was made for Him as well.   

So, imagine the brokenness of His heart when humankind broke the intimate bond they shared and sinned against God’s commands.  And as history has played out there has been countless incidents of forsaking God, breaking covenants, and choosing sinful disobedience rather than living in obedience to God.  Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death.”  What we have earned by our sin is total and eternal separation from God.  There is no way back to a relationship with God outside of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is talking in John 14:6 and says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  The only way that God could have an eternal relationship with His own creation was through the death of His Son Jesus Christ!  

One would think if you are making a huge sacrifice, if you are the only one who can make this sacrifice, and you willfully are going to submit to this wrathful solution that you would want a little fanfare?  You would at least want people to know what you are doing so that they could thank you properly, if that is possible, while you are in the process of the sacrifice.  It would make sense that you would desire a little glory for the sacrifice you are making.  But this is not at all how Jesus went about making the sacrifice for you and for me.  The only desire that Jesus had was that His Heavenly Father received glory!  Later in John 17:1-5 Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”  Jesus’ desire was to glorify His Father in heaven.  

So if Jesus’ mission was to give glory to His Father, then the best way for Him to do that is to be obedient and to humbly go about the mission His Father had given Him.  This is where we see the humility of Jesus on full display.  We read about this in Philippians 2:1-11.  “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not account equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  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.”  This is the greatest definition of humility!  

What better time to ponder on this reality than as we are celebrating Immanuel, God with us?  I would encourage you to think on the humility of Jesus as you go about your Christmas celebrations.  I would especially encourage you to think on this as you are singing the Carols of Christmas.  Let me just share one example with you.  Think as you read the words of  Hark, the Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley.  

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled”

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim

“Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Risen with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king”

 

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled”

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim

“Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king”

“Glory to the new-born king”