The Apostles' Creed (part seven)

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 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! (Philippians 2:5-8)

Today we turn our attention to the portion of the Apostles’ Creed which speaks of Jesus’ humiliation: "conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried." We refer to these events as His humiliation, because every step of the way Jesus was denied the respect and privileges that should have been His as the Prince of heaven. Yet amazingly, Jesus endured this humiliation voluntarily; Paul says that although He was in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Jesus did not insist on His royal prerogatives, but He set it all aside to come down to earth and be treated shamefully.

Jesus’ humiliation can be pictured as the Son of God climbing down a ladder into a black, nightmarish pit. There are six rungs on this ladder which descends into darkness:

"He was conceived by the Holy Spirit." Ordinarily it takes two human beings mixing their DNA together to cause the formation of a fetus. That Mary became pregnant without the help of another person shows that this conception was truly a miracle. It was the result of God’s promise delivered through the angel Gabriel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This miracle fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). And yet, even though it was a miracle from above, Jesus’ conception was the first step down into humiliation; He who filled the universe with His holiness allowed Himself to be confined within the womb of a sinful woman. What humiliation!

"He was born of the virgin Mary." No other event in all of history has resulted in so many songs, paintings and poetry. The Christmas season dominates our year in a way unlike any other holiday or event. More people know the Christmas story than any other portion of the Bible—how Caesar Augustus demanded a census of his people to determine the Empire’s taxable resources; how Joseph took his fiancee on a road trip during her ninth month of pregnancy, only to find the town of Bethlehem swamped with other travelers. How the young couple had to accept lodging with the animals, how the Son of God was born in those filthy surroundings, and how the only people to honor Him that night were shepherds come dusty from the nearby hills. Christmas cards make this event look so lovely, but it was certainly not the kind of arrival on earth appropriate for the King of kings. What humiliation!

"He suffered under Pontius Pilate." Of course, Jesus had suffered much even before He arrived in Pilate’s judgment hall. On the 8th day of His life, He bled as He was circumcised. When Herod tried to murder the Baby, He and His family spent much time on the road as they fled to Egypt. As He grew up in Nazareth, Jesus was probably taunted for being born out of wedlock—after all, who would believe Mary’s story of getting pregnant by the Spirit of God? Further, Jesus was without sin—can you imagine every child in town being told "why can’t you be more like Jesus?" I doubt that the Lord was very popular with the other kids.

As an adult, the suffering continued. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness without food or drink while Satan tempted Him. Most of the religious leadership hated Him and tried to smear His reputation. Jesus did not even have a permanent home; He said, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).

But all this was only a prelude to what Jesus endured under Pontius Pilate. He was put on trial for crimes He did not commit. Witnesses were summoned to tell lies about Him. The soldiers, bored with their duties, decided to have ‘fun’ with Jesus—insulting Him, hitting Him, spitting in His face, dressing Him like a poor man’s king. Pilate decided to make an example of Jesus; on his orders the Lord was stripped of His clothes, tied to a post and was whipped until the bloody flesh hung in strips from His back. Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords, who could have destroyed them all with just one word, patiently endured their brutality and laughs. What humiliation!

"He was crucified." By the law of Rome, crucifixion was only for slaves and hardened criminals. It was a means of execution too shameful and excruciating for anyone except the lowest of the low. But to keep Jesus’ enemies from rioting, Pilate ordered Jesus to the cross. He was forced to carry that heavy piece of wood on His bleeding back through the streets of Jerusalem and out the gate to a hill called the Place of the Skull. They stretched Him out on that cross and drove spikes through His hands and feet, then lifted Him up under the brutal sun to die, whether it be from blood loss, dehydration, exposure or sheer exhaustion. Yet even that was not the end of it; the prominent citizens came to laugh at Jesus’ pain. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, `I am the Son of God.' " (Matthew 27:42) What humiliation!

"He died." After six hours of agony on the cross our Savior cried: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46). There is no question that He was truly dead. Before the soldiers took Him down from the cross, one of them ran a spear through His side to puncture His heart, making sure He had expired. He who is the Lord of Life experienced the chilling touch of death. What humiliation!

"He was buried." Yet even in the midst of this confusion and tragedy, there were a few who loved Jesus and had the courage to admit it. Joseph of Aramathea, who had a new tomb nearby, asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body and give it a decent burial. Nicodemus offered to help Joseph with the burial. But since the Sabbath began at sundown and no work would be permitted for the next 24 hours, the two men had to rush Jesus’ body into its resting-place. There was no funeral, no procession, no tolling of a bell, no eulogy. There wasn’t even time to embalm the body properly. Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, with none of the respect we give to any of our dear departed. This was the final step down His ladder of humiliation.

Why? Why did Jesus submit to it all? This is an important question, because the answer gives Christ’s humiliation meaning for our lives.

Through His humiliation, Jesus redeemed the world. Jesus didn’t go through it all as a publicity stunt to draw attention to Himself, nor was He a helpless victim of circumstance. The humiliation was all part of God’s own plan, a plan Jesus and His Father designed together. Jesus Himself said, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). He also said, The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father (John 10:17-18). Jesus’ humiliation wasn’t defeat—it was the fulfillment of His own plan to save mankind.

When Jesus began His ministry, John the Baptist pointed Him out with the words: Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) Writing about Jesus many years later, the disciple John asserted: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Paul writes simply, he died for all (2 Corinthians 5:15). That’s why we pour money into colleges and seminaries for the training of pastors, teachers and missionaries. That’s why we bring our offerings to worship and pray Thy kingdom come. That’s why we build churches, call pastors, teach children, speak of Jesus with our friends and neighbors, come to church and bring guests with us. Christ died for all. He died for every man, woman and child; He died for those who are White, Black, Indian, Latino, Asian and Middle Eastern; He died for the people we regard as ‘good’ and the people we fear as ‘evil’. All who are sinners have been redeemed through Jesus’ awful humiliation.

Luther shows us how personal this redemption is when he writes: "He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil." The ultimate significance of His suffering and humiliation is that Christ has redeemed you. When you believe in your heart that you are the reason He endured all this, you have grasped the true meaning of the humiliation. This should move you to smile through the tears—because although you are heartbroken over what Jesus had to endure for you, you are also gladdened to know that by His suffering you have been redeemed.

Redeemed from what? From sin, death, and the power of the devil. Sin is rebellion against God’s leadership, and it results in alienation from God, a guilty conscience, fear, doubt, and a nagging feeling that things just aren’t right. But Christ’s humiliation changed all that. You have been rescued from sin and its terrible consequences because there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). You can now enjoy God’s presence in your life; you can approach Him with song and prayer knowing that He welcomes you—all because Jesus has cleansed you of your sins.

Death is a daily part of life—every day you hear obituaries on the radio and see reports of death on TV. We know that we deserve to die, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b). That’s why we don’t have to be wracked with despair at a funeral. That’s why we can face death without fear and say with confidence Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? …thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

And Jesus has brought you freedom from the power of the devil. Make no mistake—the devil is alive and fiendishly active. But Hebrews tells us, Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Hebrews 2:14-15). When Christ died, He stripped the devil of his power forever. Luther illustrated it this way. "When the devil says to me, ‘Luther, you are a great sinner,’ I have to answer him ‘You are right.’ But when he adds, ‘Because of your sins you are going to hell,’ I just laugh at him and say ‘You just go back to hell. Christ has redeemed me.’" With our sins forgiven by the Savior, Satan has no claim on our souls, no excuse that would allow him to drag us down into the black pit of hell.

This is the meaning of Christ’s humiliation—He was treated shamefully to save you and me from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends (John 15:13-14).