Humility: The Path Less Travelled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other....

Whatever the interpretation of the poem, its last lines have found immortality in the mind of anyone who has had to make a less-favoured decision.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

("The Road Not Taken," 1916)

Jesus Chose the Less-travelled Path of Humility

Two roads diverge in the book of Philippians, and Christian tradition remembers Jesus taking the less-travelled one, a path, really, for few travel it. Jesus' noble choice is immortalized in an early Christian hymn quoted by Paul that tells us that Jesus, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)

Jesus had a choice. He could have taken the road well-travelled, the road travelled by those of privilege, but he "emptied" himself of the advantages and benefits that were his due. He "humbled" himself, choosing to identify with us. It was a difficult choice. When it became apparent that even some of his disciples would betray (Luke 22:21-22) and deny (22:31-34) him, he retreated to the Mount of Olives, and in "great anguish ...prayed" (22:44) for God's guidance. He told God, "Your will be done" (22:42), but he agonized over the decision, and it is said that "his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (22:4)

Then later, when Jesus suffered the indignity of Judas's public betrayal, his disciples were ready to mount an armed insurrection; in fact, they drew their swords, and one of the casualties of that ill-advised impulse was the high priest's ear! The other casualty was no doubt Jesus' estimate of his disciples. He chastised them, saying, "Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies – more, if I want them – of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready?" (Matthew 26:52-53, MSG) Jesus chose to forego the highway of military heroes. Instead, he humbled himself, taking the seldom-trodden path of peace, love, and reconciliation.

Humility Doesn't Fetch much on the Open Market

If you follow the trajectory of our passage in Philippians, it is definitely a downward trajectory. The late Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) referred to it as "downward mobility," an implicit judgment on upward mobility – our direction of choice. Humility doesn't fetch much on today's open market. I just received the alumni news from my alma mater announcing the appointment of the university's new president, under the headline, "Taking the (university) to new heights". (ArchE, April 2010, Vol.9, No.4) North American culture suggests, in countless ways, that the way to go is up! Our first home is just a starter home; you're expected to build bigger and better! Our first car is often a jalopy, but as our salaries grow we want cars that can go-go-go! And so we go the showroom, saying, "Load up this sucker with all the extras!"

Making it to the top, entering the limelight – entering it, not sharing it – breaking the record, going for gold – those are our mantras, and that's what draws our attention. The Canadian Mennonite often showcases people who have achieved something notable, but to my disappointment it doesn't seem to matter whether those achievers are active members of a Mennonite Church or not – we like to see people we may know making it, whatever the depth of their devotion to Christ or to the body of Christ!

Now, to be fair, the Scriptures warn against idleness (1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 11; 1 Timothy 5:13), and Paul, in this same book, urges us to "press on toward the goal for the prize...." (Philippians 3:14), although the prize he was pursuing was full communion with Christ, even if that landed him in prison, which it did!

Paul's world wasn't that different than ours. Classical Greek literature denigrated humility, viewing it as a weakness. Jesus' disciples didn't get it either. Our Gospel reading reveals two of them arguing about which one of them is the greatest! If I'm going to be a Christian disciple, I was want to be Top Dog Disciple! I can imagine Jesus sighing – and he had many occasions to sigh in their presence – and he told them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them.... But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. ...I am among you as one who serves." (Luke 22:25-27)

Pride is the flip-side of humility. Most of us are smart enough not to admit that we prefer pride, but the human tendency is to elevate ourselves above others. Pride means to be "puffed up" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words), an example of which would be the Old Testament figure of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. When the prophet Daniel interpreted a dream the king had about one empire after another supplanted by the next, Nebuchadnezzar was too thick to think through the implications for his own empire. Instead, he fixated on the statue in the dream, and set upon constructing a huge golden statue of himself! He also decreed that everyone in the kingdom, of whatever religion, should bow down to worship this image of himself.

If Nebuchadnezzar wasn't his own best parody of pride, the Scriptures are also very explicit about how off-putting pride can be. "The Lord detests ...the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished," says the Old Testament. (Proverbs 16:5, NIV) "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble," says the New Testament. (James 4:6) "Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (Romans 12:16, CEV) And Jesus said, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, (while) those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Luke 14:11)

The Nobility of Humility

There is something unseemly in anyone who gets too big for his or her britches, and most of us enjoy seeing boastful, pompous, and puffed-up people get their puffs and puffery deflated! Few of us are attracted to people who think about themselves first on almost every occasion. Certainly Jesus was much more impressed with humility than with pride. He suggested, for example, that when you're invited somewhere it's more seemly and gracious to "sit down at the lowest place". (Luke 14:10) Then, if your host moves you to a place of honour – fine – but don't presume upon a place of honour.

Pride, even moderate pride, is off-putting, while there is something winsome and compelling about humility. Apparently Albert Einstein never understood why anyone treated him as anything special. A young girl often stopped in to see Einstein on her way home from school. One day her mother met Einstein and asked him, "What do you two talk about every day?" Einstein laughed and said, "She brings me cookies and I help her with her arithmetic homework." (Lee Silber, "The Seven (Bad) Habits of Highly Ineffective Creative People — Big Head, Big Problems")

On this particular week in the Church's observance of Christ's life, we have some of the most vivid examples of humility ever captured by human imagination. They are immortalized in Christian memory. Jesus' choice to empty and humble himself, as described in Philippians, captures a series of choices he made. Jesus' humility can be seen, for example, in his choice of steed to enter the Holy City. He chose a donkey! Reflecting on this, someone (Pierre Charles) was moved to compare two biblical animals – a lion and a donkey – pointing out that while we glorify the one the other earns little but our derision. The lion, a dangerous beast, whom no one has yet succeeded in harnessing to pull a plough, we have glorified with a vengeance! The humble donkey, however, who renders us the useful service we ask of it, we treat with contempt. Jesus entered the Holy City on a beast of burden, not a beast of war, as was the convention of royal processions. And those watching, including Matthew, remembered the Old Testament prophecy: "Look, your king is coming to you, humble, ...mounted on a donkey...." (Matthew 21:5, quoting Zechariah 9:9)

Another in the series of Jesus' choices was his choice of posture as he prepared to wash his disciples' feet. It may have been his final attempt to impress upon his disciples that he had chosen the path of humble service, for what could be humbler than to kneel down and perform this lowly service for his students. Simon Peter almost got it, initially refusing to let his master wash his feet, but then, when Jesus rebuked him, Peter said, "(Okay, okay,) Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!" John 13:9, MSG) Peter still didn't get it, but Jesus' humble posture was forever embedded in Christian memory and in the history of Christian thought.

Jesus' choice of steed and choice of posture are but two vivid choices made by Jesus when he chose to walk the path of obedience. Who in his right upwardly-mobile mind, for example, would choose as companions and disciples people like Levi and Zacchaeus? The lowest of the low in their society! Who in his right mind would choose to befriend a Samaritan woman, yet another detested category of people in that day. Who in his right mind would befriend lepers, the kiss of death for anyone who wanted to have a successful public ministry. Who indeed? But such was the mind of Christ, and Philippians says, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...." (Philippians 2:5)

Humility is difficult to define, and impossible to claim – but we know it when we see it. Jesus chose the path less travelled, the path of humble obedience. It's the only path that leads to Easter, the only path to the resurrection, and reconciliation, and restoration, and redemption – but believe me, choosing that path makes all the difference.