Humility in Scholarship and the Life of Jesus

Scripture — Philippians 2:5-8 (CEB)

Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus.
Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.

Devotion

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, I quoted a definition of humility found in the book, Humility: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World. In this book, psychology professor Daryl R. Van Tongeren writes:

Researchers have offered various definitions of humility, but one that has received relative consensus suggests that humility includes three features: an accurate self-assessment, the ability to regulate one’s ego, and an orientation toward other people. Put more simply, humility is knowing yourself, checking yourself, and going beyond yourself (p. 11).

Academic writers often have brilliant ideas but express them in ways that are painfully difficult to understand, not to mention remember. But Van Tongeren, an esteemed and highly productive professor of psychology, can also turn a sweet, memorable phrase. Even I can remember that humility, according to contemporary research, is “knowing yourself, checking yourself, and going beyond yourself.”

As I was reflecting on this definition, it occurred to me that it rather nicely fits the picture of Christ in Philippians 2. If this is true, it suggests that the contemporary construct of humility is not only helpful to scholars, but also to those of us who seek to follow Christ and imitate his humility.

What do we learn about Christ in Philippians 2? First of all, he knew himself. Verse 6 reads, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” Though Christ knew himself as one who shared in God’s own nature, he also knew that being God wasn’t about maximizing his personal advantage. The Greek of verse 6 could be translated, “[Christ] did not consider being equal to God an occasion for grasping.” Rather, it was all about giving. God is a gracious, giving God, not a stingy, grasping God. As N.T. Wright observes in his commentary on Philippians 2:

The point of verses 6 and 7 is that Jesus didn’t regard this equality as something to take advantage of, something to exploit. Rather, the eternal son of God, the one who became human in and as Jesus of Nazareth, regarded his equality with God as committing him to the course he took: of becoming human, of becoming Israel’s anointed representative, of dying under the weight of the world’s evil. This is what it meant to be equal with God.

Second, Christ “checked himself,” that is, he showed “the ability to regulate one’s ego.” Now, I admit this doesn’t work perfectly for Christ. It’s not as if he had grand aspirations for himself that he had to regulate. But notice what it says in Philippians 2:7-8:

rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Christ, though fully God, “made himself nothing.” He took on the “very nature of a servant.” He “humbled himself,” even to the point of becoming “obedient” (what a word!) to death, in fact, the lowest and worst form of death in the Roman world. It doesn’t seem quite right to say that Christ regulated his ego. Rather, he chose to put the needs of others (us!) above his own ego needs. He chose the way of sacrifice and humility. Indeed, the cross was more than humble, it was extreme humiliation. This is what Christ chose for us, which leads to the next point.

Third, Christ “went beyond himself,” showing an “orientation toward other people.” That’s an understatement, to be sure. I can’t imagine a more dramatic way of going beyond oneself for the sake of other people than for the Son of God to become human and die on a cross for us.

It’s striking to me that the humility of Christ so neatly fits the contemporary academic definition of humility. I doubt that most scholars who think of humility in this way have derived their understanding from Christian faith. But as they seek what humility really is, it’s no accident that they discover what Christ exemplified in knowing himself, “checking” himself, and going beyond himself.

As I consider the implications of what I have written today, I find myself asking for God’s gracious help to be like Christ. I invite you to join me in the following responses to today’s Life for Leaders devotion.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Do Your Work in a Worthy Manner (Philippians 1:27–2:11).