“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
God exalts the humble.
Jesus condemns those who exalt themselves.
God does not accept that a person considers themselves to be His equal. Here are a few examples:
- Adam and Eve wanted to do without God and decide for themselves what was good or evil;
- Saul disobeyed God by keeping part of the loot to offer as a sacrifice instead of destroying it. He gave too much importance to himself, seeking to please the people rather than obey God (1 Sam 15:3-24);
- David’s companions wanted him to take God’s place in killing Saul. David had the wisdom to refrain from doing so, considering that it was up to God to punish him (1 Sam 26:10).
No one should consider themselves above their neighbor:
- we are all sinners, each in need of grace (Lk 18:10-14);
- no one should give more importance to their desires and needs than to the well-being of others. Their satisfaction should never be at the expense of our neighbors;
- we cannot set ourselves up as role models, regarding those who are different from us as less worthy than we are.
Let us follow Jesus’s example, who willingly humbled Himself before God and humankind. Let us not hesitate to humble ourselves:
- by surrendering our will to God’s will, as Jesus did (Mt 26:42). Not because He resigned Himself to it, having no other solution, but because He trusted God;
- by serving our neighbor as Jesus taught us—not out of obligation, but out of love;
- humbling oneself does not mean belittling oneself. Jesus was aware that He was the one loved by His Father, the one sent by God. Let us be aware of our worth: we are God’s chosen ones, His beloved children, called to serve Him. And let us not forget that God loves our neighbor as much as he loves us …
- let us not try to push our opinions and traditions on other members, even if we are convinced of their validity. Unity should be more important to us than our personal beliefs. It is based on our shared commitment to the gospel of Christ;
- let us show true repentance—not out of fear of godly punishment, but out of love for Christ. We sincerely regret our sins because they hinder our fellowship with Him.
Jesus promised: if we are truly humble, God Himself will exalt us. Jesus Christ will come down from heaven to take us from the earth and lead us into His kingdom. There, we will be definitively safe from evil, fully and eternally satisfied (1 Thess 4:15-17). He will allow us to achieve a perfection that no one can attain on their own: He will transform us to make us like His image (Phil 3:20-21; Rom 8:29). But we will not be “above” others, to dominate them. In the thousand year kingdom, we will serve humankind, contributing to their salvation. God will complete His plan of redemption by exalting all those who have believed in Christ and bringing them into the new creation.
God condemns those who believe themselves equal to God or superior to others. We humble ourselves voluntarily, following Jesus’s example. God will exalt the humble and lead them into His glory.