Jacob showed some remarkable change after wrestling with God.  His interaction with Esau bears witness to it.  But the humility he showed echoes a much great humility that the true seed of Abraham would one day embody. And it’s that humility this brief post is going to focus on.

C.S. Lewis’s definition of humility has always struck me. He defines humility not as thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less often. Jesus high priestly prayer in John 17 reminds me of this truth.  The content of John 17 is beautiful. But, it’s also the context of the chapter that helps reveal the humility I’m talking about.

The context of John 17 is Jesus on the way to the cross. That’s notable because Jesus is enroute to hell itself. He is about to be consumed by the inferno of God’s wrath (no light thing). That’s what awaits him, and he knows it. That’s the context.

Combining that context with the content of John 17 is heart wrenching.  Here is what I mean.  In John 17 (with the cross looming) Jesus prays… but he doesn’t pray for himself.  If I were facing my imminent death my prayer would probably be all about me.  For example, I might request that the nails not hurt that bad.  Or that the suffering would end quickly. etc.   But Jesus, in humility undefiled doesn’t pray for himself at all.  He prays for the flock.  He prays for you.  Asking the Father that you would be guarded, kept, and sustained until joining Him in Heaven.  He ultimately prays that we would be one with Him and the Father.

In the shadow of immeasurable and unfathomable suffering (context), Jesus isn’t thinking about himself at all, he is thinking about you (content).  You are the prized possession in Jesus’s eyes.  You are the joy set before him that drove him through the valley of the shadow of death.  

This unwavering love Jesus shows isn’t dependent upon the response of his disciples (or us) at all!  He was praying John 17 all the while knowing his disciples would abandon and deny him (see John 16:32).  The same is true for you.  I don’t have the vocabulary to begin to describe the suffering Christ endured for us at the cross.  But, I can tell you that he walked headlong and willingly into that suffering knowing full well how weak and recurrently sinful we would be even as “mature” Christians.  Even knowing this, He still willingly went through with it.

Jacob’s humility, though impressive is undermined by his actions that follow (lying and fleeing).  Maybe Jacob was ultimately thinking about himself even during his reconciliation.  But, the Holy One of Israel reveals pure love and humility….  He is the one for whom all things exist, but he made himself as nothing.  Look outside yourself to that humility undefiled.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For fuller/better discussion of John 17 check out this podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christs-high-priestly-prayer/id356920632?i=1000451620078