Few would consider voluntarily moving into the slums to be the path to notoriety. But that is precisely the course the Albanian nun Sister Teresa (1910 – 97) took. She was sent by her convent to Calcutta, India, where she taught at a school among the well-to-do. Affectionately known as Mother Teresa, she followed her passion for the destitute into the city projects to teach the children of the poor and care for the needy. Others joined her and she founded the sisterhood known as the Missionaries of Charity. Although never seeking acclaim or fortune, Mother Teresa would become the recipient of numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize. When Pope Paul VI gave her his ceremonial limousine, she immediately raffled it and donated the money to her leper colony. Her behavior was not an affectation, but evidence of a genuinely humble heart—the heart of Jesus.
For centuries the people of Israel awaited a deliverer who would once and for all save them from their oppressors. Many expected the Messiah to be revealed in pomp and renown as a political and militaristic leader. Yet, the Son of God did not come to the earth in a majestic throne room or regal robes. Rather, Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a manger, a feeder used to hold food for animals (Luke 2:7). The prophet Zechariah glimpsed God’s plan by divine revelation a half-millennium before Christ’s arrival:
Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt. (Zechariah 9:9, NLT)
Prophesying of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44; Matthew 21:1-11), Zechariah described a vision of the befuddling irony of His messiahship. The triumphant king of Jerusalem would come riding into the city not on royal chariots but on a donkey, even a donkey’s baby (a “colt”). The humble markings of Jesus’ birth and ministry confounded the Jews and Romans. The Son of God willingly laid aside His exalted status, taking on the nature of a servant and the flesh of a human to accomplish God’s purpose in the redemption plan culminating in the cross. Upon relinquishing His dignity, even to the point of crucifixion, the Son was exalted above every ruler and authority (Philippians 2:7-11).
We can have confidence that in God’s proper time, He will work in us the humble heart of Christ, and we will be rewarded with extraordinary honor.
God help me lay aside those things I pride myself on to be shaped by You. Thank You for the assurance that in due time, You will lift me up from my low estate and others will behold Your work in my life.
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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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