1 Peter 5:5-6
Peter on Humility
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
James 4:10
Humble Yourselves
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 12:15-21
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”
Genesis 3:14-15
A Day Will Come When God Sends Someone to Crush the Evil One
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 20:16
The First Will Be Last
16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Matthew 16:25
The Cost of Following Jesus
25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
It seems in today's culture that having influence is a matter of celebrity, fame, being well known, and wealth...Well known people are sports figures, politicians, movie and TV stars, authors and the like...Most popular people are in the public spot light, and are seen by many...And being always in the spotlight, it would be difficult to be humble...Not that being humble cannot be done, it just seems most difficult being always watched and seen causes issues...
Some people seek fame and want to be popular...There are many reality shows today, that make some people celebrities...They seem to seek out the spotlight...Popular and famous people have followers and their followers read about them and what they do day to day or on a regular basis...These followers of sports figures, politicians, movie stars are in maybe a small way a disciple of the ones they follow...Followers read about sports heroes statistics, politicians beliefs and speeches and writings, a movie stars movies, or what their famous purpose has done...
And when we follow people or anyone, we should ask "What we want from them?"...We do like to be thrilled and excited by our favorite player...We like to be excited by a stars latest movie?...And because many of us like either sports, politics, books, and movies -or a combination of these topics, we try to keep up to date with those we follow...And in Jesus case we should also ask, "What do we want from Him?"...Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah, the One that was to come...The One who would crush the head of the evil one, and bruise his heel...So the Disciples wanted to know more about this One, who they said was the Messiah...
As one thinks about popularity and Jesus, He fits in quite oddly...He often did not want others to talk about Him or what He had done for them...He often told people not to tell or mention His miracles, after He helped someone...He told His Disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah...Even though He told people not to tell anyone about Him, His word and His identity got out over time...And many of the people He healed and that He had told not to tell anyone, they did just the opposite of what He said...He certainly did not seek any public spotlight, but being the Messiah that naturally and Divinely came...How could He avoid the spotlight, seeing that He is the Son of God...
Saying Jesus is humble, is one of the most under statements one can say or write...He teaches us about humbleness when He says the tax collector who prays to God for mercy went home justified before God...While the Pharisee did not go home justified before God...For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted...
We have a choice of who we follow each day and each week...And we can live out our lives being popular or seeking fame...But Jesus never teaches anything like this...He tells us that following Him there is this cost, a pretty high cost...And that the first will be last...Unlike other popular figures, Jesus teaches us the eternities...He tells us to save our life, we must lose our lives for Him...And if we lose our life for Him, then we will find a new life, a rebirth of life...Jesus would die humbly for us and our sins on the cross...He would live and die, and live again like no other...Yet, in our earthly ways, we often want to follow others more than Him...To Jesus -life is about God, LOVE, being humble, forgiving, and merciful...