HUMBLE PIE
The story is told of a young American music student, who had the opportunity to visit the Beethoven museum in Bonn, Germany. At one point during the tour, she became so overwhelmed, while standing in presence the famous piano on which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works; that she begged the museum guard if she could play a few bars on it. He reluctantly agreed, and as she finished her amateurish recital, she said to the guard, "I suppose all the great pianist who come here want to play on this piano too, don’t they?" The guard just shook his head and said, "No, in fact, Padarewski [the famed Polish pianist] was just here a few years ago, and he said, “I am not even worthy to touch this piano! (Sermon Illustrations)" This reflects a proper understanding of the notion that, as we grow closer in our relationship to God, and the more that the light of His pure holiness reveals our fallen nature, that we realize just how unworthy we are to stand in His presence.
This is born out in Scripture in many places, probably nowhere quite as profoundly, as in the life of the Apostle Paul. Paul had great reason to, “…have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (NKJV Php 3:4-6)” However, after humbly surrendering his life to the Lord, Paul realized that, “…what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (Php 3:7)”, and this pattern continued on throughout his life and ministry. By the time he wrote his first epistles, around AD 59, he no longer sees himself as the great zealous Pharisee, but rather, “…the least of the apostles. (1 Cor 15:9)” A few years later, around AD 63, he reckons that he is now, “…the very least of all the saints. (Eph 3:8)”, and finally, as his life is nearing its end, he concedes that he must be the, “…the foremost of sinners. (1 Tim 1:15)”
How does one arrive at such an inauspicious place in life, after having begun so prominently? Paul was, brought up… at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law… (Acts 22:3)”, how could he possibly end up, as he did, the object of hatred, ridicule, and shame, as a prisoner in chains, awaiting execution? It doesn’t get much lower than that, and yet, he went out in a blaze of glory, with love, peace, and joy on his lips, and praise to God in his heart; one of the most admired heroes of the Christian faith for almost two-thousand years. Well, as one writer puts it, “Humility and a passion for praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace. …The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. …As the years pass, he [Paul] goes lower; he grows downward! And as his self-esteem sinks, so his rapture of praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises. (Packer)” Of course, this pattern comes as no surprise to anyone who understands God’s path to greatness, as outlined by Jesus Christ Himself, the man that Paul was following. Jesus exclaimed, “…he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Mat 23:11-12)”
Far from just uttering mere words, Jesus lived out this humble leadership style, more than any other man who has ever lived. The act of coming to this earth alone, after leaving His place in glory, reveals a level of humility that we cannot even begin to fathom. “…who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” But then He took it one huge step further, “…being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Php 2:6)” A well-known pastor in Maine tells a story, about how God had revealed to him the level of commitment that Jesus made by coming to this earth to save us. He was outside one day, trying to repair his backed up septic system, when a cinder block that was propping up his light, accidentally fell into the tank. He thought to himself, “There’s no way I’m going in after that!” Almost immediately though, another question came to his mind, “If that were your daughter, would you jump into the tank for her?” Without hesitation, he thought, “Of course I would!” At that moment, the Lord spoke to his heart and said, “And that is exactly why I came to the earth, to seek and to save those who were lost in all of the muck and mire of this world!”
These humble acts are virtually impossible for a prideful person to even consider engaging in, because they care far too much for the needs of their own flesh, which only emboldens them in their arrogance. There is a great analogy of differences between arrogance and humility in Hull’s book on Christian leadership, as seen through the lives of Generals Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower. Both of these men were military giants of their day, and have both gone down in history as heroes that shaped our nation’s future, but they were world’s apart in almost every other category. Eisenhower was a man of strong convictions and humble origins who served his country in a faithful, trustworthy, and hard-working manner. MacArthur, on the other hand, was arrogant, brazen, and was ultimately fired for insubordination by President Truman. He did want the whole world to know that he was brave though. “He sought death on the battlefield, and much like George Patton, he insisted on being taken to the front lines and on occasion took enemy fire. Yet he considered himself above those in authority over him, even the commander in chief. MacArthur was a great man, but pride and arrogance kept him from being even more useful. (Hull 1314)”
It has been said, that to be a great leader, you must understand that everyone has a great leader they must follow. A failure to grasp this will render that leader, at a minimum, less useful, in the kingdom of God. Even Jesus said that, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)” Again, He modeled this for us by taking the posture of a slave and washing the filthy feet of his own disciples.
Pastor Chuck Smith was a great pastor/leader that modeled this servant-hearted leadership, humbly displaying many practical examples for the modern church to emulate. Like Eisenhower, he was a very faithful and hard-working man, who was not above rolling up his sleeves to clean toilets, unclog drains, take out the trash, pick up cigarette butts in the parking lot, or to go help someone in the church move or fix their house. He showed young ambitious pastors the need to delegate. Not just in the little stuff that he didn't care to do, but in areas that it is difficult to let go of; in things that pastors most like to do and want to do, i.e. teaching and preaching up in front of the congregation. Pride typically prevents this sort of delegation, but God can humble even the most arrogant heart... if we let Him. I think I’m going to allow Him to continue to do so, in my own life as well, because I've come to learn that, humble pie is best eaten, voluntarily!
By Pastor Glen Mustian
Works Cited:
Packer, James. Your Father Loves You. Harold Shaw Publishers. Chicago, IL. Print. 1986.
Hull, Bill. The Christian Leader: Rehabilitating Our Addiction to Secular Leadership. Zondervan. Grand Rapides, MI. Kindle Edition. 2016.
New King James Version. The Holy Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, TN. Print. 2002.
