II) THE NECESSITY OF HUMILITY

Matt 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
NIV

The next major event in the life of Jesus was that He was baptized by John in the Jordan River. This event is of major significance, as evidenced by the fact that it is recorded in all four Gospels. John was a man of some renown in his own right. He was drawing large crowds who came to see this rough wilderness man who wore camel’s skins and ate locusts. What they found in John was someone who had no patience for hypocrisy and compromise. His was a call to repentance.

Instead of focusing on himself, however, he was preparing the way for the coming Messiah. He spoke about the one who would come who would baptize people in the Holy Spirit and with fire. John humbly confessed that he was not worthy to even unlatch the sandals of this one. And then, one day as John was speaking, his cousin Jesus began to make His way to the river to be baptized by John.

How John knew that Jesus was the Messiah is not known. It could be that his mother, Elizabeth, told him the story of her visitation from Mary. It could be that there was the witness of the Holy Spirit in John himself. But it seems that even before the confirmation by the Holy Spirit and the declaration of the Father, that John knew that Jesus is the One. He said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Consider what Jesus was doing. He was altogether holy. He was righteous through and through, and yet He came to the river in witness of the crowd to allow John to baptize Him in the Jordan. Why? He had no sins. He did not need to repent of anything. He created the very ground upon which He stood and the river into which He would be baptized. It is no wonder then that John should be reticent to baptize Jesus.

But Jesus said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

Consider those words, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” This phrase has been the source of much conversation through the years of theological reflection. There are some who believe that the word “us” refers to Jesus and John and that they needed to follow through on this to bring righteousness into reality. If this is the case then point may well be that just as the cross gave meaning to all the types and symbols of sacrifice in the Old Covenant, the baptism of Jesus gives legitimacy and reality to the baptisms that John had previously performed. Just as Jesus knew no sin, and yet become the sin sacrifice in order to bring fulfillment to the Old Covenant sacrifices, Jesus who knew no sin is baptized to bring the power of righteousness into the lives of those who have repented and who were baptized.

As second understanding, is that the word “us” refers to Jesus and those whom John is baptizing. It was the proclamation of the prophets of old that the people of God repent in order to be reestablished in His favor. If Jesus this is reference, then it may be that Jesus is identifying with the people to the extent that He is willing to step into their shoes and be baptized with them. In this, they are fulfilling the call of the prophets and are embracing righteousness through repentance and forgiveness.

Either way, what Jesus is willing to do here is an example of profound humility. Though many modern leaders are portrayed as brass and arrogant, it occurs to me that humility is a necessity for great leaders. Scripture makes it clear that God will exalt the humble but He resists the proud.

Humility is not weak and placating, but is honest and empowering. Humility is willing to suffer the loss of acclaim for the greater good of others. Humility is the expression of a personality that is secure and confident. The lack of humility is often a smoke screen for insecurities and fear.

Consider the humility that Jesus displayed. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-11:

5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. (NLT)

Jesus embraced humility as a decisive aspect of leadership. He was willing to take on the role. He was willing to sacrifice the grandeur of heaven to embrace the humility of humanity. Great leaders understand the need to identify with those whom they lead. Jesus did not stand off at a distance and decree salvation, but Jesus came to us, became one of us, and became our salvation. Great leaders understand their people. They know what they need and what their best interests are, even when the people may not understand it at the moment. They are willing to put their own self-interests on the line to serve the people as a leader.

Some leaders simply put their finger in the wind and whatever is popular is the decision they make because they fear that they may lose some popularity. But real leaders do what is right, even when there may be negative consequences for themselves personally. Jesus was a real leader.

What is the result of humility? People are much more willing to forgive the imperfections of mere mortal leaders when they are humble. A proud and arrogant man or woman who fails is often portrayed as someone who got what was coming to them. But leaders who have led with humility usually find forgiveness comes easier.

People also like to see humble people promoted and advanced, more than they do in seeing the proud moving up the ladder. In fact, Paul goes on, in Philippians 2, to tell us that God the Father responded to the humility of Christ by exalting Him:

9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NLT

We are never too big to be humble. In fact, the greater the role and responsibility we have, the more humbled we should feel. We should never fain humility, but be genuine and honest in the expression of humility in our lives as leaders.