Insights
Rev Gav
How can I remain humble?
Mark 6.14-29
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’
Others said, ‘He is Elijah.’
And still others claimed, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’
But when Herod heard this, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!’
For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.
Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’ And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’
She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’
‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered.
At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a dish.’
The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a dish. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Reflect
Pride is putting ourselves, our wants and desires, before God, others, and the environment. Pride literally has an ‘I’ in the middle. When pride takes hold — when the I becomes dominant — we are faced with choices. Me or God. Me or you. Me or the environment and we face these kinds of choices many times every day. For example, choosing to spend time doing what I want instead of taking time to spend with God, or watching what I want on the telly instead of what my sister wants, or buying water in a plastic bottle rather than using a reusable cup. When we put ourselves first, there is never a good outcome for our relationship with God; there is never a good outcome for our relationships with others; and there is never a good outcome for the environment in which we live.
When left unchecked; when pride slides out of control; when it is taken to its ultimate conclusion; the results are devastating. They are horrific. For example, take today’s Bible Reading. It is a story of pride spiralling out of control, and it literally leads to a horror story with murder, gore, and distress. Herod and Herodius put their own needs first, then Herod was proud before his dinner guests. He refused to lose face and back down at Herodius’s daughter’s request.
Think how sick his marriage was that his wife should manipulate him like this. Think how sick she was to use her daughter as part of her diabolical scheme. Think how sick he was to refuse to back down. Therefore, perhaps it is not so far-fetched to describe pride as a sickness? One of my all time favourite songs was by the band Delirious, and it is called Obsession. The lead singer Martin Smith sings the line, “I carry pride like a disease.” We all carry pride like a disease. We all put ourselves first, before God, others, and the world around us.
Out of control pride ultimately breaks relationships and worse, it seeks to destroy and eradicate the other. Pride taken to its conclusion has no place for God. Pride taken to its conclusion means others become subjects or conquests or dogs to be eaten, colleagues to be stepped on, or partners or wives to be sidelined. Pride taken to its conclusion means the world around us can be raped of its resources; trashed, used up, burned, mined, cleared, and trawled.
The opposite of pride and antidote to pride is humility — to humble yourself. A member of a church of which I was once part , used to start every prayer, “All the problems in the world start with me.” I will never forget that. Before I point the finger at anyone else I remember that I am the problem with the world. Why? For I carry pride like a disease.
So where does humility come from? How can we be humble? Well, firstly, it starts with recognising that we carry pride — admitting to ourselves and to God that we have the tendency or the ability to put ourselves first. Then, it is about choices. There is the well known, anonymous quote, that life is a series of choices. Each choice represents a moment of opportunity. We need to be conscious of those choices. I know that many of the many choices I make each day are subconscious an I am not aware that I am making the wrong choice, therefore we need to become conscious. This is what it means to gain a conscience or to be mindful — it is to be aware of the morality of our choice.
Humility is being mindful of our choices — seeing those choices as an opportunity to put God, others, or the environment first — then choosing that option, however, we cannot do it on our own. Thank God his Spirit can live in us and guide us in all truth!
Repentance is admitting and committing. It is admitting we have put ourselves first, and committing to put ourselves last. This is why the confession part of our worship is so important. It is not just about saying sorry and being forgiven. It is making a decision; a commitment to putting God, others, and the environment first.
So, let us get on our knees and say, “I am sorry God for my sin, for putting myself first, for not loving you or my neighbour, and not being a good steward of creation. I am sorry for not worshipping or honouring you. I am sorry for the trail of broken relationships I have left in my wake. I am sorry for trashing your precious creation. Therefore, right now, I resolve to put you first. I commit to being your servant and to putting others first. I set my heart on looking out for your creation. Holy Spirit, cleanse me, make me new, and guide me. Amen.”
I will finish with two quotes. The first is from another favourite Delirious song. Its inspiration is Isaiah 6: Verse 5 when Isaiah sees the Lord. Martin Smith, the composer of the song, wants revival to come — a renewing and restoring of our relationship with God, others, and the world.
Lord send revival, start with me.
For I am one of unclean lips.
For my eyes have seen the king
And your glory I have glimpsed
Send revival, start with me.
The second quote is is from Philippians 2:1-7.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
and then