'I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.'—LUKE xxii. 26.
IN the Gospel of John we have the inner life of our Lord laid open to us. Jesus speaks frequently of His relation to the Father, of the motives by which He is guided, of His consciousness of the power and spirit in which He acts. Though the word humble does not occur, we shall nowhere in Scripture see so clearly wherein His humility consisted. We have already said that this grace is in truth nothing but that simple consent of the creature to let God be all, in virtue of which it surrenders itself to His working alone. In Jesus we shall see how both as the Son of God in heaven, and as man upon earth, He took the place of entire subordination, and gave God the honour and the glory which is due to Him. And what He taught so often was made true to Himself: 'He that humbleth him: shall be exalted.' As it is written, 'He humbled Himself, therefore God highly exalted Him.'
Listen to the words in which our Lord speaks of His relation to the
Father, and how unceasingly He uses the words not, and nothing, of
Himself. The not I, in which Paul expresses his relation to Christ,
is the very spirit of what Christ says of His relation the Father.
'The Son can do nothing of Himself' (John v. 19).
'I can of My own self do nothing; My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will' (John v 30).
'I receive not glory from men' (John v. 41).
'I am come not to do Mine own will' (John vi. 38).
'My teaching is not Mine' (John vii. 16).
'I am not come of Myself' (John vii. 28).
'I do nothing of Myself' (John vii. 28).