Homily – Sunday, the 5th November 2023
Reading: Matthew 23:1-12
Introduction
I have always been intrigued by the mythological story of Icarus and Daedalus. Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. Theseus king of Athens who was imprisoned there by king Minos escaped from this labyrinth and king Minos suspected that it was Daedalus and Icarus who revealed the secret that facilitated the escape. Both of them were imprisoned. They found a way of escape making wings with feathers, clothes and beeswax. Daedalus warned Icarus first of complacency and then of hurbris. He instructed him “to fly neither too low nor too high, lest the sea’s dampness clog his wings or the sun’s heat melt them”. Icarus ignored Daedalus’ instructions not to fly too close to the sun, causing the beeswax in his wings to melt. Icarus fell from the sky, plunged into the sea, and drowned. The myth gave rise to the idiom, Flying too close to the sun can be disastrous. Hubris was identified as a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with arrogance. On the other side of the spectrum is humility. The wisdom to accept wise advice and the openness to seek new avenues of possibilities.
The text that we read today is a contrast between hubris (pride) and humility.
It was Dieterich Boenhoffer who said “Once a person has experienced the mercy of God in his life he/she will henceforth aspire only to serve. The proud throne of the judge no longer lures him; he wants to be down below with the lowly and the needy, because that is where God found him.”
His theology of humility is often summarised as a response to grace where one recognises ones limitations and sinfulness and relies completely on the grace of God. Like the kenosis or self-emptying of Christ he believed humility involved emptying oneself of self-centredness, pride and ego and thus opening oneself to God’s will and the needs of others. For him a humble person would seek less for power and dominance and would not pursue the life of others for the same but would seek justice, peace and welfare of others.
In the gospel lesson today we read of Jesus defining discipleship. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Servant leadership is identified here as the DNA of discipleship.
Mahatma Gandhi said, The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others- and for him it was possible by seeing the spark of the Divine in the other.
To serve, if done with joy and the whole heart is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you said Pearl S Buck. What that means is simple- the manifestation of genuine spirituality can only be to serve- that too of the lowest. Mother Teresa who is acclaimed as the symbol of humility by several people who have met her often said- its all about allowing Christ to live in you and then there would be no place for your self wanting to manifest. When you learn to see Christ in the other and specially in the suffering you can cannot be but their humble servants.
Jesus begins this discourse by criticising the Pharisaic nature and let us look at the five aspects that Jesus points out which could be seen in us too. Hubris or pride often finds ways of expressing itself.
First, The Gap Between What is Preached and What is Practiced
Jesus says- for they do not practice what they teach.
What Jesus infers is simple- the best sermons are lived and not preached.
Francis of Assissi said- Preach the gospel at all times and use words only when absolutely necessary.
It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said- when you speak so loudly I cannot hear what you say.
Don’t tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe- so goes an old saying.
Your behaviour should reflect what you claim to be your belief.
Love is not about just words it is living out those words.
Abraham Lincoln reminded- In the end it is not all your claims that matters it is the life you lived.
People would seldom remember you for your sermons but they will remember you for your smile for being there when you needed them most.
Second, The tendency to lay burdens on the shoulders of others
Jesus says, They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others;
Placing burdens on the shoulders of others could be forms of oppression, injustice or unfairness.
Most of the post-colonial reading of mission history is about the burdens of rituality and practices that were put on the shoulders of others.
Preachers put the burden of sin on people’s shoulders which could be devastating.
The Dalai Lama said- if you can help others, please do but if you cant please do not put heavy burdens on them.
There are parents who lay the burden of expectations on kids
There are bosses who lay the burden of performance on employees
Pride lays burdens on others.
Third is The unwillingness to help with the burdens of others
Jesus points out but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.
The true measure of a person is how he treats someone else who could be of no concern to him.
When we people bearing weight do we reach out to help.
Physical baggage can sometimes be seen but the emotional burdens are most often not seen and that could be where people might need a helping hand.
Love cannot come in unless you learn how to let it go and the best way to let it flow out is when people need a hand to support their burdens.
John Bunyan said- you have not lived today until you have done something to someone from whom you never expect anything in return.
Pride makes it difficult to think about others because you are too preoccupied with yourself.
Fourth is The desire for public gaze
Jesus points out They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
Seeking approval through pretence is a danger that we should all be aware of. It is better to remain unloved for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
Don’t let the fear of being judged, rejected or disliked define what you do. Live your life, the way you are, true to your conscience. Do not compare or compete for in the end it is not the approval of others that decides your inner peace.
CS Lewis says- Do not shine so that others can see you, instead shine so that others can see Christ and see themselves
Be yourself- someone else is already there to be what you are pretending to be.
Doing things for others to see is how pride functions.
Fifth is The quest for places of honour and best seats
Jesus goes on- They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
The quest of the pride is the place of honour when you go for a banquet.
Do we know of people who think they deserve a better seat at the church.
Do we see the desire to be greeted rather than to greet.
One beautiful thing about Germany is that if you greet someone they invariably greets you back but if we seek to greeted instead we know what would happen.
Pride seeks seats of honour
After saying this and drawing a contrast Jesus says
But You
The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
This verse emphasises the central role of serving others in the paradigm of Christian discipleship.
The motto of Christian discipleship is Not to be served but to serve. Ouk diakonethenai alla diakonesai.
The virtue called servanthood is constantly emphasised by Jesus. It is about the Master Who Washed the Disciples Feet with a Towel round his waist and told them to do likewise.
It is about The Lord of the Universe who had a Humble birth and was laid in a manger no place to be born and when he died having no place to lay his head.
What does humility do?
Humility gives us inner peace since it releases us from pride
We prayed as our prayer of confession today Beth Neels prayer:
Holy God, we open our hearts to you this day
And offer the truth of our lives
The fear that stifles us
The prejudice that blinds us
The pride that bridles us
The ignorance that hobbles us
The doubt that plagues us
Help us, we pray
That we find courage in unlikely places
See the world with new and gracious eyes
Move to those places where love is needed
Have faith that you are with us
And live in humility reflecting Christ in us.
When we acknowledge this the inner peace that humility brings in is inexplicable.
Humility gives us deeper relationships since it releases us from ego
One of the traditional liturgies of the old is a
The Litany of Humility
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being sought, Deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver us, O Lord..
From the desire of being preferred, Deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being considered, Deliver us, O Lord.
Humility is considering the other worthier than you
When we consider the other worthier than we are that enhances the beauty of relationships.
Humility Makes Us Better Human Beings taking away the risks of flying too close to the sun but helping to walk close to the Son.
The Question therefore is, do we want still to fly too close to the Sun or walk close to the Son.
Jesus says The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Jesus warns us of the inevitable bursting of the bubble. You can try living in a self-created air bubble. But it would just take a moment for it all to vanish in thin air.
We could instead chose to be humble enough to servanthood and in God’s appropriate time and appropriate ways God would exalt you.
Conclusion
Humility increases self-awareness, reduces stress, reaches out to help, enhances the cohesion of teams, increases gratitude, improves mental health, influences ethical behaviour and is a marker of spiritual growth.
When the choice is between Pride and Humility what will be our choice
Vinod Victor
November 5, 2023
Freiburg Anglican Church 
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