A computer whiz, a minister and a Boy Scout were the only passengers on a small commuter plane, when suddenly the pilot rushed back into the cabin and told them there was a mechanical problem and that the plane was losing altitude. He opened the storage compartment and discovered that it contained only three parachutes, meaning that they were one short. Then he quickly announced, “One of them needs to be mine, so I can tell the investigators what happened and prevent future problems with this model aircraft.” Having said that, he took a parachute, opened the door and jumped.
The computer whiz said, “I should also have one of the parachutes, since I’m probably the smartest man alive, and the world needs my brilliance.” So he quickly grabbed one, opened the door and jumped out.
The minister turned to the Boy Scout, and with some sadness in his voice said, “Son, I’ve lived a rich life, but you’re still young and have your whole future ahead of you. You take the last parachute. I’ll go down with the plane. I’m ready to meet my Maker.”
But the Boy Scout answered, “It’s okay, Reverend. The genius just took my backpack.”
Beware the sin of pride. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins, even if you can’t name them; almost no one can. But they include pride, envy, sloth, gluttony, lust, anger and greed. That’s in no particular order, although the sin of pride has long been considered the deadliest of them all, and rightfully comes first. It is called “The Great Sin,” from which all others arise, going all the way back to Eden. Pride places Self above all else, even God, and in doing so, it wreaks utter havoc. Our fallen world is vivid proof of that.
Over the next several weeks we’ll visit each of the seven classic sins, while also highlighting their opposite Christian virtue. In the case of pride, the corresponding virtue is humility. As St. Augustine, one of the Church Fathers, has written, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”
So, what does the Bible say about pride and humility? Probably the single most important verse expresses it very well: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). (Repeat.) God scorns the sin of human pride, but honors the virtue of humility. That truth is foundational to living the Christian life.
Our sinful human nature always wants to see ourselves as better than other people, whether by virtue of our intelligence, wealth, privilege, or any other conceit we might harbor. But pride has nothing to do with the Christian imperative to love. Like a Black Hole in space, our self-centeredness pulls everything around us into itself, robbing us of the light of God’s love, joy and peace--and our ability to share it.
The virtue of humility, on the other hand, enables us to love God and others freely. It allows us to escape the stubborn gravitational pull of our selfishness. Our lives have been given to us so that we can know the joy of giving them away. That's God’s will in our salvation, and it’s where his blessing is found.
General Dwight Eisenhower greeted a group of paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division as they were waiting to board their plane to begin the invasion of D-Day. The picture of confidence and easy charm, he smiled that 1000-watt smile, shook their hands and patted their backs, asking where they were from, and what kind of work they’d done. They came from all over the country and represented every kind of background.
“Anybody from Kansas?” (his home state).
“Yes, sir.”
“Go get ‘em, Kansas.”
“Don’t worry, General. We’ll take care of this thing for you.”
As they began boarding their plane, Eisenhower turned away and walked back to his jeep, wiping away tears. “It’s very hard,” he told his aides, “to look a soldier in the eye when you fear that you’re sending him to his death.”
It wasn’t only because of his reputation for hard work and his military expertise that Eisenhower had been chosen for the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. In fact, many of the senior Allied commanders under his authority considered themselves to be his superiors in both experience and ability. And maybe they were.
But none of them were as humble or as selfless and Eisenhower. And as a veteran of WWI, where the Allies had been greatly hindered by a lack of unity among the officers, Ike and those who appointed him understood the critical importance of conducting better coalition warfare this time around. He was chosen on the basis of his character as much as for any other reason.
There was an entire stable of military thoroughbreds under his command, none more of an egomaniac than British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who was never satisfied unless he received more glory than any of his counterparts. Then there was the prickly “Free French” general, Charles de Gaulle, whose arrogance and sense of entitlement were vastly disproportionate to the size of the force he commanded. And there were several other headstrong senior officers to manage--all in addition to President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. His role was daunting and very nearly impossible.
Eisenhower had to know how and when to absorb their criticism, stroke their egos, settle disputes, guide and encourage, and somehow keep everyone working in harness together. It was all so stressful that by D-Day he was drinking 15-20 cups of coffee and chain-smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. Not surprisingly, he suffered from high blood pressure, terrible headaches, depression and insomnia. But he kept all of that to himself and always tried to project an image of strength and confidence as a leader.
Ike wasn’t a glory-seeker, and he had no need of special recognition. He understood fully that it wasn’t about him. All that mattered was the greater cause of winning the war and safeguarding, as far as possible, every life with which he’d been entrusted. That was what made him great, and in the end it proved crucial to the success of the mission. Without the selflessness and humility of Dwight Eisenhower, the entire operation could very well have failed, and we would be living in a dramatically different, and tragically darker, world.
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Ultimately, however, the life of Jesus is the one perfect example of the virtue of humility. When he had to decide whether to spare his own life, or to submit himself wholeheartedly to God--even at the cost of what he knew would be an agonizing death--he prayed one of the greatest of all prayers: “Not my will, but thine be done.” And it was because of his act of absolute humility that we have been saved.
If pride is the worst of our sins, humility is the greatest of all Christian virtues, because it honors God’s rightful place of authority, and serves his good and perfect will above all else.
Which is why the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church at Philippi celebrating the greatness of Christ’s humility as an inspiration and an example for us to follow (Philippians 2:3-11):
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Have the same perspective as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be held onto, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Therefore God has highly exalted him and has given him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:3-11).
Amen.
