All those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted  (Luke 14:11)

In his poem, East Coker (one of the 4 Quartets), T S Eliot said:
“The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility. Humility is endless.”

Earlier this week the current writer of the Church of England’s Daily Reflection, Chine McDonald, was reflecting on the passage from St Luke’s Gospel (14: 1-11). The section included a story Jesus told about guest at a dinner who grabbed the superior positions at the table. Jesus suggested that if more important people came, the host might have to  ask the others to take a lower seat. That would not only be embarrassing; it would be humbling.

Humility was the subject of Chine’s reflection and is at the heart of the story Jesus told. The passage ends with the quote above.
My further reflection brought to mind the quotation from Eliot’s poem.
It comes just after Eliot says, Quiet voiced elders have deceived us. Do not let me hear of the wisdom of old men but rather of their folly. The only wisdom we can acquire…is Humility.
Humility  and its practice as humbleness is often mistaken for the kind of grovelling we find in Uriah Heep in Charles Dickens’ novel, David Copperfield. In one episode, Heep was ringing his hands and wiping them on his handkerchief. It was a gesture of how he wished to present himself to David Copperfield as what he described as being “a very umble person” He went on to reiterate. “I am well aware that I am the umblest person going, said Uriah Heep, modestly; “let the other be where he may. My mother is likewise a very umble person. We live in an umble abode…

Taking pride in false lowliness is not what Jesus was speaking about.
Humility before God is not, as is so often presented, about feeling a complete lack of worth. It is not about making us feel bad about ourselves.  It’s actually the reverse. It’s about recognising that all the potential we have, all the gifts we can offer, all the love we can share, all the joy we can bring, all the things we can achieve – owe their origin to God. And we are called to use our lives and all God has given us, in His service.
Humility is about recognising and celebrating that.

Jesus was, however cautioning us against another false trait, opposite of the one taken by Uriah Heep, of thinking ourselves better than others. This leads to a view that some of us have rights and privileges over others. Our view of humanity then becomes warped. It leads, ultimately to nations trying to lord it over others. We do not have to look far to know what I mean but before we sweep our vision towards the Holy Land or Ukraine, let’s not forget to look nearer to home at the boat people, refugees, the poor and homeless.
Chine McDonald in her reflection widens the story Jesus told. She says, “Jesus words reflect the nature of the Kingdom of God. This is a place where the usual rules do not apply. What applies, she says, is humility because we are dealing with the upside-down nature of God’s Kingdom.

By contrast, she says, “We live in a world where we are asked to measure ourselves against others; where we pride ourselves in our achievements and what we have, whether that is family, a great job or great car – are what matters.” 

Jonathan Sacks, the late Chief Rabbi,in his book To Heal a Fractured World,  makes the point that no one ever speaks in praise of someone who died, about the car they drove, the house they owned, the clothes they wore, the exotic holidays they took. He says that  the things we spend most of our time pursuing turn out to be curiously irrelevant when it comes to seeing life as a whole.
After death, he says, “what was important was the kind of life people led; the qualities they showed; the good things they shared in; the responsibilities they took within community life; who they were as people.”

Chine McDonald places this in context by saying that the Kingdom of God is a place “where human wisdom is replaced by divine wisdom. It is a place in which the status quo cannot be assumed. It is a place of newness and wholeness, where we see things as they should be.”
The way to inhabit this Kingdom is to embrace the kind of humility which translates into seeking the well-being of others; of putting service of others before self; of behaving towards others with respect and love, no matter who they are or the circumstances of their life; of encouraging others and being generous towards them; and to be examples of hope and gentleness. Most of all, of course, it is about embracing the Will of God for us and for others.

[Mr G 14^th June 2024]