At the last supper, Jesus was sitting among a few of His disciples. From their conversation, one can visualize their proximity and can follow their conversation. They would have been reclining at the table, as compared to sitting, which is our custom. There wasn’t a slave to wash their dusty feet, so Jesus undertook to begin with Peter, who responded by asking Jesus if He actually intended to wash his feet. Peter was reluctant to consider Jesus’ kind offer, so Jesus replied that their relationship could not be the same if He didn’t.
Each of the disciples considered it inappropriate, but Jesus said He was about to set an example; that each should wash one another’s feet. He told them it would be a wonderful symbol of caring, because it would reveal an attitude of service, care, love and genuine humility, all characteristics of those who would be His followers.
This ceremony pointed towards Jesus’ impending death; a prelude to the cross, which might be stated in the words, “I am among you as he who serveth.” (Luke 22:27(b)). He also said, “The Son of Man came to serve.” (Mark 10:45) There is a beautiful hymn that reminds us of the faithful saying, that “Jesus emptied Himself of all but love, and was obedient to death, even to death on the cross, where He laid aside His glory,” and took on the nature of any of us. It is from the hymn, “And Can It Be?” by Charles Wesley:
“He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me.
This hymn is an eloquent message about humility. Automatically, we will ask, “How do we become humble? Left to ourselves, we become proud, and lose any quality of humility. It is a quality of character revealed in how we relate to one another. Now is a good time to resort to prayer. It is then, when one becomes humble before God. Only in humility and brokenness, can we approach the throne of God. That is actually why we resist praying. When we pray every day, we will become humble. There is no place like Calvary to reveal our humility. A hymn by Dr. Isaac Watts explains that we can look contemptuously at our pride, when we consider Christ’s humility in forfeiting His life as a Sacrifice for us. His Sacrificial death was so we can have direct access to God. The hymn is, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
1. When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died;
All my gains I count but loss
And throw contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God.
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.
Jesus was asked, “What is the most important commandment of all?” He replied, “To love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and all thy soul and all thy mind and all thy strength, and to love your neighbour as thyself.” (Mark 12:30, 31) He exemplified His love for others and He laid aside His position. As scripture tells us, “There is no greater love than that a man will lay down his life for his friends. After telling us that, Jesus went to the cross and laid down His life not only for His friends, but for everyone who will recognize His Sacrifice as God’s evidence of His love. By acknowledging God’s love, and by asking for forgiveness for what would otherwise separate him or her from God, a person can have a personal relationship with God.
To promote unity with others, it is well to abide by instructions given to us from the Bible. Paul, in Philippians, encouraged Jesus’ followers, saying, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others. (Phil 2:4) Humility will unite us while selfishness and superiority will divide us. Humility is the quality of being one in spirit and one in mind. Rather than claim we are right in a situation, it is best to give up our right to be right. Rather than insist on having our own way, we will show grace and gentleness. Humility will gives us the ability to value others above ourselves. (Phil 2:3)
An example of humility would be the ability to graciously accept criticism or suggestions about your playing. Consider criticism to be given in the spirit of good advice. Thank the individual, and ask him or her to demonstrate the improvement. Listen carefully, and together, refer to the music page. Individuals may play the music so often that it is by ear. Consequently, the printed music should be the authority for this situation. By giving time to consider the advice, both pipers will benefit. The result is to have made a friend, and it is quite possible he or she was right. If so, you can humbly say thank you, and if he or she was wrong, you will have helped to improve the music as well as having maintained your respect as a player.
Being humble, makes us more like Jesus. “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death.” (Phil. 2:7, 8) Following in Jesus’ footsteps, means to back away from what we would consider best for us, and to allow it to be best for others…Jesus gave up His life for us. We could ask Him in prayer, to help us make sacrifices for the sake of others. By putting others first, it would reflect upon our humility and be honoring to God.
Pipers can think how they may develop the character quality of humility. It could be by not trying to impress anyone or one another by the quality of their music, but honestly accepting, that to accomplish the level of playing they recognize in others, it must have required much practice. Those persons deserve to be recognized and complimented. That gives the other person an opportunity to say, “Thank you,” and probably acknowledge that you have an appreciation for their playing and that you might also know a great deal about the way the music should sound. Remember always, that your style of music could be different from theirs and vice versa. While one person might specialize in hornpipes, jigs and reels, another might excel in playing marches and memorials and for special occasions. And, if someone should complement you on what you’ve just played, a simple “Thank you,” is adequate. Definitely, never be critical of another’s playing when in conversation with anyone else.
Our conversation began with a discussion on humility. In actuality, humility is opposite to pride. It is natural to be proud of an accomplishment. One should be proud of his or her achievements, but not to the extent of bragging about them. To complete this discussion, several quotations on pride, will be found in scripture. James 4:6 tells us, “God opposes the proud, but shows favour to the humble.” The disciples of Jesus condescended to wash one another’s feet, and Jesus said that if they were unwilling to let Him wash their feet, they could have none of Him. In James, verse 4:10, we are reminded to “humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Finally, Paul, in Romans, 12:16, advises us, “Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior.” God loves us to be humble individuals. He requires us to be close to Him, and it is in Micah 6:9 that we are told, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
