The Humility of Christ: Jesus Didn’t Look Like a King (Philippians 2:3-7)

The Humility of Christ is one of the most profound and misunderstood truths in all of Scripture. Few illustrations help us grasp it better than the contrast we see in Undercover Boss—a television show where a CEO disguises himself, puts on the clothes of an ordinary worker, and enters the world of his employees unnoticed. He changes his appearance, puts on the clothes of a worker, and enters their world unnoticed. The people around him don’t realize that the one serving them—cleaning floors or stocking shelves—is actually the person with all the authority. What makes the show compelling is the contrast. The boss hasn’t lost his power or position—he has simply laid aside the visible symbols of it for a time so he can identify with his employees and understand their lives. Your mind might already be going to the Incarnation, but as helpful as this illustration is, it barely scratches the surface of what Scripture describes. No CEO stops being rich or powerful when he goes undercover. But when Jesus Christ came into the world, the eternal Son of God did something infinitely greater. The One worshiped by angels was born as a baby, laid in a manger, and raised in obscurity. That is what we celebrate at Christmas—not merely a birth, but the humility of Christ. Jesus did not cling to the visible display of His glory. He willingly laid it aside to live among us and serve us. Before we can appreciate Christ’s humility, we need to understand what humility actually is, because it is one of the most misunderstood virtues in the Christian life. https://youtu.be/mjYWTBON2xQ Table of contentsLesson One: Humility Isn’t Thinking Less of Ourselves—It’s Thinking of Ourselves LessLesson Two: Everything About Jesus’ Birth Revealed His HumilityLesson Three: Jesus Remained King Even When His Glory Was Laid AsideLesson Four: The King Who Humbled Himself Is Worthy of Our Worship Lesson One: Humility Isn’t Thinking Less of Ourselves—It’s Thinking of Ourselves Less Many people assume humility means thinking poorly of yourself—viewing yourself as insignificant or worthless. But that isn’t humility, because even self-loathing is still self-focused. The person who constantly thinks about how bad they are is still thinking about themselves. True humility is better described as self-forgetfulness. Instead of thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less—and thinking of others more. Scripture defines humility this way. It’s helpful to associate chapters of the Bible with themes: 1 Corinthians 13 is the love chapter Isaiah 53 is the chapter on substitutionary atonement Romans 4 is the chapter on justification by faith Philippians 2 is the humility chapter Paul writes: Philippians 2:3 — “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Humility is defined both negatively and positively: Negatively: stop acting from selfish ambition and conceit. Positively: intentionally elevate others in your thinking and priorities. Paul reinforces this in the next verse: Philippians 2:4 — “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Immediately after defining humility, Paul gives us the perfect example: Philippians 2:5 — “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” If humility is thinking of ourselves less and others more, no one has ever embodied it more perfectly than Jesus Christ. Lesson Two: Everything About Jesus’ Birth Revealed His Humility When we think of Christ’s humility, our minds often go to the cross—and rightly so. Paul writes: Philippians 2:8 — “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” But Paul begins earlier—with the Incarnation. Philippians 2:6 — “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Jesus did not begin to exist at Bethlehem. He existed eternally with the Father: John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The word form (Greek morphē) refers to essence, not appearance. Jesus possessed the very nature of God. He never surrendered His deity. Instead, He did not cling to the privileges of His divine position. The humility of Christ is seen not only in that He became man, but how He became man. He was born into poverty (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12:8). He was born in obscurity—in Bethlehem, laid in a manger. His birth was announced to shepherds, not royalty. His mother endured public shame and lifelong accusations of illegitimacy (John 8:41). He was raised in Nazareth, a town so insignificant people said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Paul summarizes it this way: Philippians 2:7 — “He emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” The phrase “emptied himself” comes from a single Greek word—kenoō—from which we get the term kenosis. Jesus emptied Himself: Of visible heavenly glory (John 17:5) Of unrestricted omniscience (Luke 2:52; Luke 8:45; Matthew 8:10) Of eternal riches (2 Corinthians 8:9) Of honor and praise (Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11) Yet He never stopped being God. Lesson Three: Jesus Remained King Even When His Glory Was Laid Aside To understand this, Scripture gives us a powerful Old Testament picture. When David brought the ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6), he removed his royal robes and wore a linen ephod—the garment of a priest. He laid aside visible symbols of kingship without surrendering authority. Was David still king? Absolutely. In that moment, David foreshadowed Christ: A king who veiled glory without losing authority A ruler who identified with his people A priest who offered sacrifice David’s humility offended Michal because he didn’t look like a king. Christ’s humility offended the world for the same reason: Isaiah 53:2–3 — “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him… He was despised and rejected by men.” Lesson Four: The King Who Humbled Himself Is Worthy of Our Worship Jesus didn’t arrive looking like a king—and He didn’t leave the world looking like one either. Matthew 27:28–31 — He was given a robe to mock Him, a crown to hurt Him, a scepter to beat Him, and a cross for a throne. Yet He never stopped being King. The sign above His head declared the truth: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The King of kings came in a manger and left on a cross. He lived a perfect life, died as our substitute, and rose again so sinners like us could be forgiven and reconciled to God. The baby who didn’t look like a king is the only King who can save.