Power? Strength? Endurance? “A true Hero in a superhero world” Jesus: powerful, strong, forbearing? Yes! Meek, gentle, humble, lowly? Yes. Col 1; Matt 11
Colossians 1:15-20 NIV
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
...and yet...
Jesus, in the face of injustice (Acts 8:33), did not avenge Himself (1Pet 2:23), did not seek vindication, but in fact, remained composed, silent (Isa 53:7; Mk 14:61; 15:5). Jesus knew, having come from His Father, and that He was going back to His Father - and stood undaunted in the face of death, confident in Who He was and Whose He was - where He had been and where He was going. (Isa 53:10, 12; Rev 5:6)
As Jesus was being arrested on His way to the cross He exclaimed
Matthew 26:52-53 NIV
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
But, He did not. It is one thing to see and realize Jesus’ going to and remaining on the cross, it is still another to begin to grasp Jesus' strength of character and commitment, His resolve, His will to submit and accomplish the will of His Father, which was also His own will - what was best, most wise, most loving.
The nails did not hold Jesus to the cross. It was the strength of His love - for His Father; the Holy Spirit - who Himself patiently waited for His role in this loving; and mankind (John 3:16), who He would give the right to be children of God (John 1:14), His soon to be brothers and sisters, co-heirs, with whom He would share all that is His (Rom 8:17); for whom He, Jesus, God - with Father and Holy Spirit, together in perfect harmony with mutual honor, submission, edification, perfect love - sacrifice themselves to redeem and reconcile to Himself.
Hebrews 12:2-3 NIV
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
● Jesus - the all powerful one (Heb 1:3).
● Jesus - our strong tower (Ps 144:2; Prov 18:10).
● Jesus - the forbearing - patient, tolerant and kind one. (Ex 34:6; Ps 31:19; Rom 2:4; Eph 1:7; 2:7; Col 2:2; 1Tim 1:16; 2Pet 3:9, 15)
Jesus - humble and meek (lowly - the servant); Jesus - powerful, strong, enduring; humble, meek, lowly servant
These things are not mutually exclusive, but in fact, we cannot have the second without the first; we cannot be the second, if we are not the first
And it all takes humility - being confident in who we are to God, who we are in God, and who we are because (of) God
Submitting to:
● The Father - fear and reverence - being awed at His glory, His power and majesty - the giver of our faith
● The Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith
● The Holy Spirit - the power of God in us to live out that faith
As we, knowing our human limitations, submit to Each and All, we are expressing our humility as Jesus did in
John 13:1-5 NIV
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
As we humbly submit, admit to our need for God and His guiding and leading, we permit the fruit of His character and nature to rise up in and out of us - the Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
One expression of that fruit is - gentleness or meekness or humble - it is the true measure of strength. God’s strength under His control - demonstrating power without undue harshness - it is truly gentle - moving carefully, with consideration, with power to spare
● When one is truly knowing of and confident in his or her strength, they have little inclination the be sure that anyone, let alone everyone knows about it.
● The quiet one is always the one one should be leary of in regard to their threat
● Humility may downplay its strength, but seldom doubts its ability
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
● Gentle
● Humble in heart
○ Low-lying, lowly, lowly in spirit
○ Describing a person who depends of the Lord rather than self
○ God-reliant rather than self-reliant - which ironically always exalts the person - which brings them true worth (declared by God - 1Peter 5:6)
○ This is opposite of proud - haughty.
■ Having overestimated one’s means or merits, despising others or even treating with contempt (1Peter 5:5)
1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV
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.
What makes a hero? What enables us to rise above the ills, the frey, of this world - strength of character, will, resolve. A commitment to what is right and just and fair (Pr 1:3; 2:9; 21:3; Isa 56:1). It is one who does vindicate himself, but is quiet and allows God to fight for then (Ex 14:14; 15:3; Deut 1:30; Isa 30:15) and instead defends the case of those who cannot fight for themselves - and even this - is through God’s wisdom and strength.
There is no contradiction. It takes...
● the strong to be gentle
● the confident to be gracious
● the selfless to be merciful
● the forgiven to be joyful
● The secure to be humble
● The humble to overcome…
○ One who knows who he is - not because he has made something of himself, because they know what they is from God
○ One who then, knowing this, relies on God and not themselves
○ One who does not avenge, but mercifully, graciously, loves, gives, and forgives (Luke 6)
There is no contradiction between Jesus’ character and characteristics and masculinity
It is a paradox, the virility of men and the gentleness of Jesus, the prowess of the hunter and the nurturer nature and character of a father…
The violence of a warrior and the deep desire to love and bless family and friends with a strength provided for by God Himself… gentle and humble in heart, relying on God and not self.
Jeremiah 17:5-10 NIV
5 This is what the Lord says:“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;they will not see prosperity when it comes.They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,in a salt land where no one lives. 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes;its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of drough tand never fails to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,to reward each person according to their conduct,according to what their deeds deserve.”
