Daily Devotion, February 8, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read John 7:40-52.

Healthy Humility. True humility probably has never held a high value in this world. Yet true and healthy humility gives balance to our ego’s pride, need and pursuit for the wrong kind of power. In our journeys of faith in Christ, sometimes we can let our pride get the best of us. Sometimes, we might find ourselves quite prideful about our humility!

Many of the Pharisees were “overly confident” they knew the Scriptures well enough to recognize that Jesus was not the Messiah. In today’s reading, Nicodemus’ question to his fellow Pharisees caught my attention. “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” (John 7:51) The gospel writer is helping us to hear and see the irony of the whole situation. The Pharisees are quite prideful in all that they know, but their ears are closed to Jesus, the One whom God sent to be the Messiah!

 

Sometimes, we too are quite prideful in all that we think that we already know. Our spiritual ears and eyes are closed to truly hearing and understanding the words of Jesus. Jesus understood the power of humility, not for selfish reasons or for his own glory. Jesus' humble service was motivated by love, for the sake of others, and for the glory to be given to God.

Jesus set the example of humility in washing his disciples’ feet and commanded them to go and do likewise. It’s interesting that the origin of the word “humble” means, “from the earth” or “close to the ground.” What an example of humility to wash the feet of another!

But humility is also about receiving. In John 13, Simon Peter didn’t think Jesus should be the one washing his feet, but Jesus said to him, “Unless I wash you, you shall have no part of me.” After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter would be the one needing Jesus’ forgiveness for his betrayal at the time of his crucifixion.

Personal Worship Option:

Christ has much to teach us. And Christ has much to teach us about the way of humility. Maybe, similar to the Pharisees, we too need to hear Christ (afresh and anew) and find out what he is doing. Maybe we too, like Simon Peter, need Christ’s mercy and forgiveness.