Peter and James Learned Humility From Jesus
Daily Scripture
1 Peter 3:10-16, James 1:19-22
1 Peter 3
10 For
those who want to love life
and see good days
should keep their tongue from evil speaking
and their lips from speaking lies.
11 They should shun evil and do good;
seek peace and chase after it.
12 The Lord’s eyes are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord cannot tolerate those who do evil [Psalm 34:12-16].
13 Who will harm you if you are zealous for good? 14 But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them. 15 Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. 16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you.
James 1
19 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. 20 This is because an angry person doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you.
22 You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The Sermon on the Mount has changed millions of lives since Jesus taught these principles. The Sermon on the Mount’s themes of humility and peacemaking echo in Peter and James’s letters. Peter, not naturally disposed to humility (see Mark 14:27-29), quoted Psalm 34, urging Christians facing Roman hostility to “seek peace” and act with “respectful humility.” James moved from being among the family members who thought Jesus was “out of his mind” (Mark 3:21) to an admired leader who urged believers to be quick to listen and slow to speak.
- Peter linked humility to Christians’ missionary impact on the world. Scholar N. T. Wright explained the irony: “Christians are supposed to stand out as distinctive, but when we do, and are mocked or criticized for it, we are tempted to mock and criticize right back—and then we are no longer distinct, because we are behaving just like everyone else!” * How is humility about deep faith rather than superficial politeness? In what ways does true humility grow from the roots of your devotion to Jesus’ kingdom?
- James moved from a lofty spiritual principle in verse 19 to very practical, everyday application in verses 20-22. As one scholar noted, “A pious person with a foul mouth is a contradiction in terms (verse 20). Such a person is deceiving themselves—but nobody else.” ** James called believers to be “doers of the word and not only hearers.” How can you close the gap between merely hearing to actually doing what Jesus and James taught?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Peter and James—and a host of others—paid close attention to your beatitudes, and it changed them for the better. I want to listen in ways that will similarly shape my life for the better. Amen.
GPS Insights
Jennifer Creagar
Jennifer Creagar, who serves as the Community Assistance Coordination Director in Resurrection's Congregational Care Ministry, wrote today's Insights. She is married and loves spending time with her family, and she enjoys writing and photography.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Wright, N. T., Early Christian Letters for Everyone (The New Testament for Everyone) (pp. 89-90). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
** Ibid., p. 22.
