On Christmas Eve, we gather to celebrate the birth of our Savior — and what better way to prepare our hearts than to reflect on the humility of the King who left heaven’s throne for a manger? Pastor Josh White challenged us to consider what Christ’s humble first coming means for us today.
The King Who Had Nowhere to Lay His Head
When we think about the King of Kings entering the world, we might expect pomp and circumstance. Instead, the Creator of the universe was born in a borrowed manger. Later, when Jesus described His own circumstances, He said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). The King of Kings had no home. No palace. No throne — at least not the kind the world would recognize.
“Thus says the Lord, Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool…”
— Isaiah 66:1
Why a Donkey? Humility at the Triumphal Entry
Even when Christ entered Jerusalem — the moment His kingship was publicly displayed — He didn’t ride in on a warhorse surrounded by armies. He rode in on a donkey, the foal of a donkey, just as Zechariah 9:9 prophesied centuries earlier. The King of Kings entered on a beast of burden. Not a symbol of power, but of humility and peace.
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
— Zechariah 9:9
The second Advent will be different — Revelation 19 describes a glorious, powerful, terrifying entrance when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. But His first Advent? It was marked by humility.
The Purpose of His Humility: Philippians 2
Pastor Josh turned us to Philippians 2, where Paul gives us the most complete picture of Christ’s voluntary humbling. Though He was in the form of God — fully divine — He did not count equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:5-8
Why did He do this? So that He could be our atoning sacrifice for sins. He came humble so He could fulfill the Father’s will for our life. He willingly chose not to use His divine attributes so that He might be the perfect human sacrifice for you and me.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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 2:9-11
So What?
Christ’s humility sets the example by which you and I should live. His humility challenges us to examine our own hearts. Where are we tempted to rely on ourselves rather than God? Where do we seek recognition, status, or comfort instead of following His example of selfless service?
The passage in Isaiah 66 closes with this powerful invitation:
“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
— Isaiah 66:2
As we remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior this Christmas season, let us follow His example and humble ourselves before our mighty God — recognizing our dependence on Him for salvation, for identity, and for every provision we have.
Scripture References
- Matthew 8:20 — The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head
- Zechariah 9:9 — The promised King comes in humility
- Philippians 2:1-11 — Christ’s humility and exaltation
- Isaiah 66:1-2 — God looks to the humble and contrite
- Revelation 19 — The glorious second Advent