Chapter 8: Christ the Humble King — The Anti-Pride
If pride says,
“I will rise,”
then Christ says,
“I will descend.”
If pride grasps for glory,
Christ lets it go.
If pride demands to be served,
Christ picks up a towel.
He is not just a model of humility.
He is the answer to pride.
He is the better King—
the anti-pride.
He Didn’t Come Flashy
He could’ve been born in a palace.
He chose a manger.
He could’ve arrived with fanfare.
He came through a teenage girl,
in a town barely worth naming.
“Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor…” — 2 Corinthians 8:9
Christ didn’t lower Himself once.
He lived low—every day.
He Didn’t Defend His Reputation
When mocked, He stayed silent.
When accused, He didn’t argue.
“He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet He did not open His mouth.” — Isaiah 53:7
He didn’t say,
“Don’t you know who I am?”
He knew.
And that was enough.
Pride needs to be right,
respected, vindicated.
Jesus gave all that up—
for us.
He Took the Lowest Place
“Jesus… got up from the meal,
took off His outer clothing,
and wrapped a towel around His waist.” — John 13:4
Then He washed their feet.
Even Judas’s feet.
In their culture,
this was servant work—
the bottom rung of honor.
But He wasn’t pretending.
He wasn’t making a point.
He was revealing the Kingdom.
Because in heaven’s economy,
the lowest place
is the most exalted.
He Died the Most Humiliating Death
“He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross.” — Philippians 2:8
Not just death.
Execution.
Naked.
Mocked.
Exposed.
He had the power to stop it all.
He didn’t.
Because humility is not weakness.
It’s power under perfect control.
He Was Lifted Up by the Father
“Therefore God exalted Him
to the highest place…” — Philippians 2:9
Jesus didn’t climb.
He was lifted.
He didn’t grasp for position.
He emptied Himself.
And because of that,
God raised Him above every name.
Pride says,
“I’ll exalt myself.”
But God says:
“If you humble yourself, I will lift you up.”
(See James 4:10)
He Shows Us How to Live
“Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus…” — Philippians 2:5
The path of Christ is not prideful self-assertion.
It’s self-emptying love.
It’s not about appearing humble.
It’s about being so rooted in the Father
that you no longer need to protect your status.
The King of kings became a servant.
And He invites us to follow.
What Does It Matter?
We don’t just need to try harder to be humble.
We need Christ’s humility living in us.
He didn’t just tell us to bow low—
He went there first.
If pride is the disease,
Jesus is the cure.
He heals us
not by shaming us into humility,
but by showing us
a better way to be human.
One that doesn’t seek a throne—
but seeks the Father.
Reflection and Questions
In what ways am I still trying to “rise” on my own?
Do I see humility as weakness—or strength?
What would it look like to take the lowest place in my home, church, or workplace?
How does Christ’s example shape how I speak, serve, and sacrifice?
Am I willing to let God exalt me in His way and time—or must I exalt myself?
