The Humility of Christ (Luke 2:1-24)

Introduction

I’d like to share with you an experience I had in 2016 that has forever marked me.

When we were missionaries in South Asia, living among an upper caste hindu population I had the privelege of touring a pretty remote, yet significant hindu Temple of a desert area near Pakistan.

It sat high on a hill, where most temples were built (even in th OT, high places) with the thought being the higher the temple the closer one is to God.

We had to ascend over 700 stairs in the heat of summer.

Toward the top of our climb we passed about a dozen older ladies who seemed as if they had been climbing those stairs for a while. Because after every 5-10 stairs they’d lie face down in prayer before they’d ascend another few stairs. (an act of piety and worship).

We beat the ladies to the top by about half an hour and our tour guide had just wrapped up his informative speech about the history of the temple, the significance of the particular idol, and its importance to the local populace, when they burst into the courtyard.

They proceeded to fall on their face and weep and wail with true authenticity. I mean it was moving to witness the pain and grief on their faces as they bowed before this idol.

And as they wept they began to chant in unison a particular prayer. My Hindi at the time was conversational at best, and I struggled to pick up on what they were carrying on about, so I asked our tour guide.

He said, “They are saying, “Oh God, why won’t you come down, why won’t you come down? You are so far away up here, while we are down there. Why won’t you come down? Why won’t you come down? We are hurting down there. We are in need down there. But you are up here. Why won’t you come down, why won’t you come down?

For very apparent reasons, that experience effected me. The genuine grief. The visible display of piety and worship. But more than anything the tear filled wail of “Why won’t you come down, won’t you come down.”

You see… they didn’t know the Christmas Story. They had never heard it. They didn’t know that God actually had come down and he did so for the very reasons they were begging this idol too.

To enter into their pain and sufferings and grief. To sympathize and console and comfort. To rescue even. To save.

But what is even more tragic than witnessing that display of grief on that mountain in remote Northwest India, is what we as American’s are tempted to experience every year at this time.

The truth is, we’ve heard the Story of Christmas haven’t we? That God has come down. That He took on flesh, and was born a baby in Bethlehem.

We hear it on every radio station. See it on every TV channel, and hear it every Christmas Eve when you get dragged to church just like today lol.

But what’s tragic is that we’ve allowed the familiarity of the Christmas Story to cause us to lose the wonder of it all.

And of all things we could wonder at, all things in the Christmas Story that we have wondered over during advent.

If you haven’t been with us, over the last 4 weeks we have marveled at the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that the Christmas Story displays and delivers.

But more than that… the thing that makes me marvel more than anything is the Humility the Christmas Story displays.

So I just want to take the next 10-15 minutes or so and infuse your Christmas with a renewed sense of wonder as we peer at the Humility that surrounds this Christmas Story.

Mother Theresa once remarked, “that of all the attributes of Christ, it is His humility that impresses me most of all.”

So let’s look at the Humility of Christ in the Christmas Story.

Read Luke 2:1-7

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Humility of Christ

In Birth

Bethlehem not Jerusalem

His humility is seen in the town in which he was born.

A census for taxation purposes was ordered by Ceasar Augustus and required all Jews to return to their ancestral home.

So Joseph left his home of Galilee, the town of Nzareth, and went to the city of David, Bethlehem.

Now Jerusalem is also called the city of David, for David made Jerusalem the seat in which he reigned over Israel, but David’s ancestral home was also Bethlehem.

So instead of being born in the center of political, militaristic, or economic enterprises… Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

It’s like being born in Sunbury, compared to Plant Riverside Savannah.

Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Bethelehm is little, in size and significance. yet in spite of its insignificance, this birthplace of David would become the birthplace of his greatest descendant, the Messiah.

His Humility seen in Bethlehem not Jerusalem.

Hay not the Hyatt

His humility is also seen not just in the town of his birth, but the specific location of his birth.

vs. 7, “laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was laid in Hay, not the Hyatt.

Royalty swaddled in rags.

and Mary herself had to lay him in the trough, indicating there were no nurses or maids, or servants to assist with the labor.

Lonely and alone the Messiah entered the world. Laid in Hay, not a Hyatt.

Now many assume a manger to be what we see in our nativity displays.

A barn, detached from the house where cattle live apart from the family. But that’s actually too proud of a place for the Savior of the World.

The actual set up of his birth was much more humble than that.

When we lived in North Africa we’d visit these clans of shepherds up in the Atlas Mountains and stay with a host family there.

It was a square shaped home of thatch and concrete with a big open square courtyard and rooms directly off the courtyard for the family.

The cattle, and sheep and mule would be brought in at night to sleep in courtyard.

That’s most likely the set up of Jesus’ birth. The inn, or the guest house was full. So Mary gave birth in the open air, surrounded by the livestock.

His Humility seen in the Hay, not the Hyatt.

The Humity of Christ is also seen in the visitors that dropped by that night.

Shepherds not Sultans

Read Luke 2:8-15

Luke 2:8–15 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Now we like to depict the 3 wise men coming to the Nativity, but many argue that Jesus was probably a little older when they finally arrived.

So the only visitors Baby Jesus had was Shepherds, not Sultans.

As a class, shepherds had a very bad reputation and was a despised occupation.

In general shepherds were dishonest and unclean to standards of the Jewish law.

Outcasts, and sinners were the first recipients of the good news.

His humility seen in the Shepherds, not Sultans.

Let me give you one more.

Poverty not Prosperity.

In Luke 2:22 after 40 days, Mary and Joweph traveled to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord (vs. 24).

But notice the sacrifice.

The normal sacrifice involved a lamb.

But Leviticus 12:8 “And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.””

Apparently Mary and Joseph were so poor they couldn’t afford a lamb.

Jesus was born into Poverty, not Prosperity.

and on and on I could go.

Every aspect of His birth is surrounded by obscurity, poverty, and humility.

And as he grew in wisdom and stature with both God and man, the humility surrounding his birth only furthered in His life.

In Life

His early childhood was lived as a refugee in Egypt.

His youth was spent in Nazareth. an area of destitute poverty.

Isaiah 53:2, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

Owned no home or property… nowhere to lay his head.

Dependent upon the charity of others to support his needs.

A foot washer.

Friend of fishermen, and tax collectors and sinners.

Rider of donkey’s not stallions.

In Death

Bearer of a crown of thorns, though worthy of a crown of gold.

Silent in the face of accusations, though at the whisper of his command legions of angels could come to his aid.

Crucified like a criminal in between 2 others condemned for their crimes.

Philippians 2:6-8 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by 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.”

The Humility of Jesus has always been on display. In his birth, life, and death.

Conclusion of Humility of Christ

He has come down, He has come down! And as seen in his birth, life and death he came to associate with the lowly, poor, and outcasts. He came Humble.

And because of that, we tragically struggle to accept him, and peer upon his seeming insigificance and say “sorry, no room for you in the inn.”

The Humility of Self

But what makes His humility so shocking is that...

This baby, is God.

Conceived of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:35).

Called the “Son of God” (Luke 1:35)

a Son who would carry the government upon his shoulder, and called “wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

A King whose Kingdom will increase for all eternity.

The Word who was with God, the Word who is God.

This baby was God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity.

Colossians 1:15-16 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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.”

Colossians 1:19 “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”

Hebrews 1:2-3 “ his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

This baby was God, who before he came down, created the world, and orchestrated all of history and upholds it by the word of His Power.

That means that He had been planning to come down for centuries. He knew it was coming. He wasn’t caught off guard by this census that drove them to Bethlehem, because he orchrestated it.

He could have made reservations at the local Hyatt. God knew the plan. God arranged the plan. But He choose the Hay.

He could have had Sultans, and the wealthy and the powerful come to visit, but instead of sultans he chose shepherds.

He could have arranged the sacrifice of 144,000 livestock like Solomon, but instead he chose to embrace poverty and manage a pair of turtledoves.

Why Humility?

So the question then is WHY! Why choose such humility and humiliation in birth, life and death.

Jesus loves humble things.

Humble places like a virgin’s womb

a noname town,

a manger,

and a criminal’s cross.

But he also loves humble hearts.

God says he rejects the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

The proud cannot accept this Humble Savior.

As C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and on people; and of course as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something above you.”

So as Paul writes, This message. This humble birth, life, and death is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Where is the one who is wise?

Has not God in this humble story, made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Where is the one who is strong?

Has not God in this humble, weak story, made foolish the strength of men?

So not many who are wise according to worldly standards, not many powerful, not many of noble birth can accept this humble savior.

For God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.

He has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

He has chosen what is low and despised int he world, so that no human being can boast in the presence of God.

So many of us want to be able to SAVE OURSELVES.

We want to conquer life by pulling ourslves up by the bootstraps, and stand before God one day with all our accolades, and accomplishments and good works and say, “See… I deserve to be here.”

We are Prideful.

But the purpose of Such a humble savior, is to humiliate our pride, and force us to embrace humility by accept His Saving work and not our own.

Jesus loves Humble things.

Humble places, and humble hearts.

But many will see his humility, hear of his humility, sing of his humility, but because of his humility there will be no room for him in their hearts.

Don’t shut the door of your heart to Christ this year.

Humble yourselves in light of the Humility of a God who would come down.

And marvel this Christmas.

Let us Pray.