THE CROWNING MANIFESTATION OF HUMILITY.
By H. A. St. John
IN the cross of Christ we have both the crowning manifestation of divine love, and also the crowning manifestation of Satanic hatred. It is perhaps safe to say that throughout all the universe, and all eternity there will never occur another event revealing so fully, convincingly, and wondrously, the unbounded hatred of Satan toward God, and the unbounded love of God toward man. Herein we discover, in a slight measure, why the cross of Christ will be the science and song of all the redeemed throughout eternity, as also of all other worlds that needed no redemption. Wrong Conceptions of His Kingdom.
But just a few hours before the blessed Jesus gave Himself to die on the cross for a world of sinners, He gave to the world and to His church a crowning manifestation of humility. It was on this wise: Jesus sent two of His disciples to find an appropriate guest-chamber, and there to prepare for the last Passover. In this preparation they had not neglected to put in the room a basin, towel, and water, for some one to wash the feet of the guests. When Jesus and the twelve were all assembled, there was a brief period of silence and waiting for some one to act the part of a servant, by washing the feet of the remainder. Now, the twelve disciples, up to this very time, still cherished the false but favorite idea of a literal kingdom to be then and there set up. Hoping that the favorable and long looked-for time was then right at hand, they were examining themselves and each other with relation to securing the highest place in that kingdom. Each had arrived at the conclusion that he was the best fitted to receive the great honor, the highest place, even at the right hand of the King in the kingdom. Hence, being filled with jealousy of each other, and a spirit of strife as to who should be accounted the greatest, not one of them was in the frame of mind necessary to stoop to perform the act of a servant to his fellows. Each thought it would jeopardize his chances for the highest place in the kingdom. Now let it be observed that this very spirit of jealousy and selfish ambition for honor and preferment, not only unfitted them for the highest place, but utterly unfitted them for the lowest place, even any place at all in the coming kingdom. That spirit will be forever barred out of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. The great law of life for that kingdom will be, 'With love serve one another.' Washing His Disciples' Feet.
It was at this juncture in that evening gathering in that upper room, that Jesus arose with the consciousness that He came from God, and was soon to return; and that He was truly their Lord and Master, and the greatest in that company, and in that kingdom. With His holy soul filled with a burning desire to teach His disciples that loving service and true humility constitutes real greatness, He laid aside His garment, girded Himself with the towel, poured water into the basin, and washed His disciples' feet. Truly, His name is 'Wonderful.' In this we have the crowning manifestation of humility on the part of Him who humbled Himself as a man, as a servant of servants. Truly, He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. This unspoken rebuke was distinctly understood by all the disciples, and all but Judas saw themselves in a new light. By the time Jesus had concluded the humble service, they had learned a lesson they could never forget; They loved one another, perhaps as never before. This, with the lessons of the Cross and Pentecost, prepared them to love one another as Jesus loved them: and filled with that love they were prepared to go to the world with the good news of the Gospel of salvation.