The Basin and the Towel-A Look at Humility

Oh, how often we love to shout out our privilege and posture in our position. We love to be right. We enjoy knowing we did the right thing. We appreciate more than we are willing to admit being in charge, even when it is of something insignificant. 

Jesus rocked my world this week regarding humble service. He did this through an answer to prayer and through his word. I regularly pray and ask God to clothe me in the humility of Jesus. I ask that I can, through the power of Christ, lay down my will, my flesh, and my life, and take up the will of God for my life. I ask Him to empower me, through his grace, to joyously serve him just as Jesus served him up to and including his death. Secondly, I ask the Lord to help me display humility toward others by serving others, even at personal expense.

Is this easy? Is this always joyful and automatic? The preacher in me wants to pontificate and say, “Yes, just walk with Jesus and it will happen.” The sinner in me cries out, “It is often painful and only empowered through the grace of Jesus.”

You see, we have this dirty little secret. In our hearts, we fain humility to the Lord. And why wouldn’t we? He is God and he is in control. He can raise us up to glorious heights and in the same breath bring us below the foundation of the earth. Even if we do not ever voice this, in our hearts, we often think we are humble in our walk to the Lord. But is this true humility? Andrew Murray said, “humility toward men will be the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real, that humility has taken up its abode in us, and become our very nature” (Humility, p.96). 

What is Murray saying? Murray is saying that real authentic humility toward God is validated only when we are humble to one another. The level of our humility toward Jesus is actually proven by how humble we are to one another. No matter how humble we feel we are to God, our true humility is shown in the way we treat one another. 

This brings me to the word of God. This week I have spent a lot of time in John 13:1-17. In this famous scene, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. There has been much written and many great sermons preached on this passage, but this week I just allowed this passage to wash over my heart. 

In this passage we see Jesus knowing his level of authority, knowing his giftedness, and knowing his purpose. Knowing all of this, knowing full well he was the person of the Trinity who created all things; knowing full well he is the only one worthy to die for the sins of the world; knowing with all certainty that he will defeat not only sin and death but in the coming age, Satan once and for all. 

Knowing all this Jesus takes off his robe and he picks up the basin and the towel and he takes on the role of the servant and washes the disciples’ feet. 

Jesus displayed the fullness of humility here in this upper room and so many times we fail to show humility to someone in a buffet line. 

Is your heart humbled before Christ? 

Are you practicing humility to others? 

May we have a genuine desire for humility and weakness. May this lead us to ask God to clothe us in the humility of Jesus and may this humility be displayed to others in the name of and for the glory of Jesus.

As we are genuine in our humility toward others our hearts will be molded in Christlikeness. The more we grow in Christ, the more the will and blessings of the Father can be evident and prevalent in our lives.

Blessings,

BD