"I am so humble that I am proud of my humility." How insidious the human heart is! We can turn a divinely-gifted characteristic into a snake and devouring serpent in the heart. How different is the heart of the Christ, who is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Mt 11:29).  Without a hint of pride He can say what we can hardly think without busting our buttons in self-glorying. However, we might suspect Him of false humility, because here these are but words. First, they are the words of the Son of God, who cannot lie, but testifies truthfully about Himself. The Old Testament identifies the Messiah by His lowliness. When He comes in humility, you have seen God's Christ. Such lowliness marks Him for us. "Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zech 9:9). His humility is the sign of His coming among His people to bring them salvation. The defining act of His ministry is His embracing the sin of the world and the acceptance of mistreatment at the hands of evildoers, that He, who knew no sin, might become sin for us (2Co 5:21). He doesn't hesitate to lay down His life for us, but offers it up of His own accord (Jn 10:18). That is humility; true humility.

Such humility forever becomes a mark of His coming and the establishment of His kingdom. The church is built by the cross and its weakness and suffering. The church exists from the font of baptism. Her life is given and reassured there. What could be more humble than that God should condescend to give His most precious gifts with water connected this His word. How easily the unbeliever can mock this little bath; a few words and a little splashing. But God's word in baptism pledges Him and His great gifts to those who are baptized there. We become God's children through the washing of regeneration (Tit 3:5). There is no better status to have: God's child. You can't say anything better about yourself. There is no graduating from this. In this sense Christian maturity is to become more deeply a child in the hands of a gracious God. We must attain "to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Eph 4:13-14). Notice it does not say that we shouldn't be children, but rather we should no longer be children tossed about by every wind of doctrine. True trust in the word of the Father is without any doubts, objections, caviling, or quibbles. This is childlike trust. Christ's humility as God's Son must rub off on the adopted sons of the King. "Not my will, but Yours be done, dear heavenly Father," is the child's prayer.

"'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children' (Mt 11:25). To those wise and understanding, who are really objects of derision, to the arrogant who in false pretence are great, yet in truth are only puffed up, he opposed not the foolish, nor the ignorant, but little children. Who are the little children? The humble. Therefore 'you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding' Under the name of the wise and understanding, He has explained that the proud are understood, when He said, 'you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding.' Therefore from those who are not little children You have hidden them. What is hidden from those who are not little children; from those who are not humble? And who are they but the proud? O way of the Lord! Either there was none, or it lay hidden, that it might be revealed to us. Why did the Lord exult? 'Because it was revealed to little children.' We must be little children. If we would wish to be great, wise and understanding, it is not revealed unto us. Who are the great ones? The wise and understanding. 'Claiming to be wise, they became fools' (Rm 1:22). Here then you have a remedy suggested by its opposite. For if by claiming to be wise, you have become a fool, then claim to be a fool, and you will be wise. But claim it in truth, profess it from the heart, for it is really so as you profess. If you profess it, do not profess it before men, and refrain from professing it before God.