April 20, 2016

THE HUMILITY STANDARD WE CAN NEVER LIVE UP TO

Matthew 27:32–44

Bo French
Wednesday's Devo

April 20, 2016

Wednesday's Devo

April 20, 2016

Central Truth

Even in the moments leading up to His horrific and painful death, as everyone around Him continued to mock Him, Jesus remained humble and dedicated to serving His Father in heaven.

Key Verse | Matthew 27:36–37

Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." (Matthew 27:36-37)

Matthew 27:32–44

The Crucifixion

32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Dive Deeper | Matthew 27:32–44

Jesus lived a perfect life. No one before Him or after Him can claim that. Even in His death, He was perfect. Why? Because when He had an excuse not to be perfect and give in, He chose to serve His Father with humility. 

For most of my life, I lived for myself. I was selfish and did what I wanted to do. Since my wife and I went through re|engage and I rededicated my life to Jesus, my perspective on humility has radically changed. 

I know I am not perfect, not even close. But, for the last few years, I have seen how easy it is to fall to my own selfish desires. Every single day I could list out excuse after excuse not to be holy. In fact, my selfishness consumes me at times. I see this play out in almost all of my relationships, but especially my marriage. 

The reading today reminds me of two things. First, Jesus humbled Himself until the very end. He could have used His power at any time, but instead, He never gave in to selfishness or the easy way out. Second, if I don’t remind myself of God’s truth every single day by reading the Bible, then I am exponentially more likely to be selfish. Jesus’ life was the model, and in His death He set the standard for humility. It is not always easy, but when I show humility instead of succumbing to my own selfishness, my relationships go well.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you find it difficult to refrain from doing what you want to do?

2. What new perspective do you have in knowing that Jesus could have blinked and freed Himself from pain, but instead showed humility until the bitter end?

3. Humility always looks good, so how can you humble yourself in your relationships (spouse, parent, sibling, or friend)?

4. What do you need to do to remind yourself of the level of humility God wants to see from you?