Happy are the Humble
Why humility Isn’t what you think and is more necessary than you think.
Jesus began his most well-known sermon with this shocker: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). In this usage, “blessed” (mακάριοι in the greek) means to be happy, and to be poor in spirit is to recognize one’s own dependence on God. Another translation clarifies, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him…,” which doesn’t seem too terrible as an ethereal concept but quickly gets sticky when we begin to grasp the far-reaching, tangible implications.
In essence, Jesus is saying, “Happy are the humble,” dispelling any confusion as to what he means by that a few lines later when he states that “The meek will inherit the earth.” If the idea that we will be blessed and happy when we are humble and meek feels upside-down to you, join the club. Just as that sounds a little nonsensical to our western sensibilities, it was the same in Jesus’ day and culture, where the people also prided (pun intended) themselves on their strength and power. Jesus seems to be hinting around that the kingdom of God belongs to those who were willing to surrender their strength and power in exchange for humility and meekness. Paired with his dedication to calling out the pride and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day, you start to see how Jesus lost his spot at the popular table, theologically speaking.
WHAT HUMILITY IS (AND ISN’T)
To further understand why Jesus’ call to humility made folks so mad, we need to properly define the term. While humility is often associated with the absence of pride or the presence of self-deprecation, that doesn’t go quite far enough. Humility, in its truest sense, is the absence of self. As Rick Warren once put it, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Or as my newest-long-deceased-theological-crush, Andrew Murray, said in his book, Humility; The Journey Toward Holiness, “Humility is the very essence of holiness, where God is all and self is nothing…It is the disappearance of self and the mark of dependence on God.”
True humility, then, is the disappearance or denial of self. It is when we see ourselves as nothing and are content to see God as everything.
VERTICAL HUMILITY
And while humility is indeed a symptom of holiness, it is also a prerequisite to it. Acknowledging God’s holiness—or “infinite otherness” as one pastor puts it—helps us bend our will and knee to a God we recognize as everything. Likewise, it is only when we are willing to be humble that we are able to recognize that God is holy, perfect, and all.
When I teach on holiness, I often say, “Humility is not the natural bent of humanity but it is the only proper posture before a holy God.” This dovetails with Jesus’ teaching in Mark 8:34 and several other places throughout the gospels: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Essentially, Jesus is saying that we must surrender ourselves to follow him faithfully, Historically, we have desperately searched for any other methodology of faith and some other secret entrance to the kingdom. But as I recently explained in a women’s prison ministry setting (to a rather disappointed but still receptive audience,) “There are no sexy secrets to the life of faith. The secret is surrender.”
Happy are the humble and humble are the holy.
Christine Chandler Prater
When we simplify and combine Jesus’ twin teachings about being poor in spirit and denying self, we get this pithy little line I also often use when I preach on holiness: “Happy are the humble, and humble are the holy.” That statement rolls off my tongue better than it reflects in the mirror… and here’s why: What Jesus is teaching in his Sermon on the Mount, exampling all throughout his public ministry, and calling us to is this:
Faith is a form of surrender and discipleship is an invitation to death.
Suddenly doesn’t sound so inviting, does it? But wait! There’s more!
Jesus also makes it clear that dying to self is the way of love, and therefore, the only way to live well with others. In other words, Jesus calls us to a life that is absent of self-interest, opposite of self-serving, and sacrificially poured out for others (even enemies). Are you starting to see why—particularly in a prideful society—that goes over like a pregnant pole-vaulter?
The call to faith is costly. Both then and now, few are willing to forfeit the cultural currency of pride and power in exchange for intangible kingdom ideals. And it isn’t until we grasp Jesus’ main point in the Sermon on the Mount that we can even begin to understand how blessing can possibly come through being poor in spirit. We are not blessed because we have nothing to offer God. We are blessed because in realizing this, we are qualified for redemption through him and reconciliation to him. Happy are the humble because He saves the surrendered.
In the upside-down kingdom of God, only death to self can lead to abundant and eternal life.
Christine Chandler Prater
HORIZONTAL HUMILITY
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all‘” (Mark 9:35).
Jesus is clear that all of his followers must engage in “horizontal humility,” meaning love of neighbor and service to others. This is not an optional exercise reserved for the pastor and missionary. Yet, in my recent research on humility and its relationship to the life of faith, it became clear that most of us regard horizontal humility as bonus-level obedience, almost an extracurricular activity of the extra-holy. We applaud it in the saints. We pine for it in relationships. But we rarely demand it from the (wo)man in the mirror.
Scott Sauls, one of my favorite modern-day pastors (mostly because of his humility,) says this about humble people, “Humility is a virtue we admire in others and desire most in our family members, closest friends, and confidants. Unlike pompous people, the humble are a breath of fresh air. Unlike approval junkies, the humble are low maintenance and approachable. Though not perfect, they are generally kind, modest, agreeable, respectful, and deferential in nature. They treat others as being more significant than themselves.”
Sauls is summarizing Paul’s admonition in Philippians 2:3-5. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”
This is where I really seem to struggle (and I’ve been on social media so I know it’s not just me.) When our current cultural currency is being the loudest, the proudest, the mightiest, the right-est, it can be hard to correct course and walk the kingdom path of humility. I find it much easier to humble myself before a holy God than with my fellow man. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think I am better than anyone. I only struggle with having humility when I am treated as less-than by others. That’s different, right?
According to Scott Sauls, Andrew Murray, and Jesus Christ, not so much.
“What matters more to us—that we successfully put others in their place, or that we are known to love well? That we win culture wars with carefully constructed arguments and political power plays, or that we win hearts with humility, truth, and love? God have mercy on us if we do not love well because all that matters to us is being right and winning arguments.”
Scott Sauls
“Humility before God is nothing if not proven in humility before others.”
Andrew Murray
“…Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…”
Jesus, in Matthew 11:29
Jesus also tells his disciples, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). And in case you think love does not require humility, remember Paul’s teaching. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).
Jesus used his authority to model humility. He shared a table with and washed the feet of the very person to betrayed him to his death. So according to Jesus, our personal humility is not only vertical in nature, nor can it be conditioned upon the moral merit of another. Humility is the mark of the Spirit of God and obedience to the Son of God. Scripture makes much of making less of ourselves, and “Jesus expects his followers to be as humble as He was” (Murray).
HOLY SHIFT HUMILITY
All this recent reading and research has really been shifting my perspective on humility, so I wanted to geek out more about it here with our Holy Shift community. I asked my friend, Carrie Kittinger, to join me in doing so. Carrie is a good friend, a gifted writer, and an excellent Bible teacher. She also exemplifies the type of humility I believe Jesus is calling us to. In this video, we discuss what humility is (and isn’t) and explore Jesus’ call for Christians to walk in both vertical and horizontal humility.
I hope this article helps you explore the necessity of humility for the life of faith and shifts your perspective on Jesus’ teaching on the subject. For more thoughts on humility, keep an eye on our Instagram page, where we will also be giving away a copy of both Scott Sauls’ and Andrew Murray’s books.
We would also love to hear your thoughts! How are some ways we can pursue and practice HOLY SHIFT humility? Comment here or look for the upside-down-girl-graphic on Instagram.
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