Flashy Vs Humble
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. (Zec 9:9b-10b)
I was fascinated the other week when I saw a new commercial for Cadillac. It started out showing extremely important people being transported. One, being carried on a chair on the shoulders of others. Another, riding on top of an elephant that was elaborately decorated. Finally, a couple riding in the back of a brand new Cadillac. Presumably, people of importance and power ride those vehicles.
I thought to myself, what would that person on top of an elephant think if he saw someone riding a donkey? Surely he would think that person to be inferior.
Yet, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The all-powerful King of the universe humbled Himself to arrive in utter poverty.
If He could do so, so should we.
Our Holy Father believes that. That was the reason that he gave up all the big, pretentious cars and, instead, went for an old heap to drive in. He does not want to set himself up as anyone more important than others.
God wants us to approach our world humbly. We can hardly do so if we are a pretentious people.
How humble are you willing to be today?
FAITH ACTION: Try not to be the center of attention in your dealings with others today. It is harder than you think!