Agape (agápē; from the ancient Greek) is the highest form of love or charity. It is the love of God for all human beings. This is in contrast to philia (brotherly love), philautia (self love) or eros (romantic love). Agape love embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstances (Wikipedia). This is God’s love for you. This is the love that Jesus demonstrated.
Furthermore, agape refers to the covenant love of God for mankind as well as man’s reciprocal love for God and by extension, the love of fellow human beings. Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13).
And lay down His life He did! Not in what we would consider an honorable or heroic death but in a manner reserved for the lowest of the low of society. Crucifixion was the ultimate public humiliation and rendered its recipients completely helpless at the hands of Roman authority.
Jesus was utterly humiliated, tortured, despised and crucified in order to impress upon the citizens of Judea that the “King of the Jews” could never threaten the power of Rome. Jesus was completely humbled in a demonstration of strength by the Roman Empire.
The thirty-nine lashes He endured, the physical abuse that was inflicted upon Him, the blood loss, the pain; all so that He could feel every sin he was about to bear on the cross. And He did so willingly, in obedience to the Father’s will. That is humility of the highest order.
A Humble Posture
When you consider that the Almighty Creator of the universe loved humanity so much that He entered into His creation and into our brokenness via a lowly stable, it is mind blowing. He wasn’t born in a castle, he didn’t graduate from an esteemed university or study under some renowned Pharisee. Yet His knowledge exceeded that of the wisest of men. The Messiah maintained a humble posture throughout His earthly ministry.
Jesus never traveled in a chariot, or even on horseback (although he did ride a donkey into Jerusalem once, as recorded in Matthew 21:1-11) this was in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout daughters of Jerusalem! See your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Instead, He walked everywhere, just as a common man would. He afforded those of low stature to follow along, to listen and to interact with Him. He healed the sick, the blind and the crippled. He never charged a fee for his services.
He identified with the poor. He took the road less travelled. He carried His cross. And by doing so, He is empathetic to our needs and struggles – our pain. All of our sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus. And He bore our collective sin.
What kind of King would do such a thing? Revelation 19:16 calls Him “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Jesus is a King that leads by example. He is a King that compels one to follow and trust. That is what the Greek word pisteuō means. It is translated as “believe” in English. The word implies to entrust, rely on and cling to.
The agape that Jesus demonstrated is so extreme that not only did He die for His friends – He died for His enemies! Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Paul declares in Romans 5:10, “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”
Jesus Is The Perfect Example Of Humility
Think about it. The King of heaven experienced a life of meekness in order to connect with our weakness! Jesus is the perfect example of humility. Philippians 2:6-8 states of Jesus, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on 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!”
Paul instructs believers to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3). This encapsulates the call to serve the King. And servitude has great rewards. Proverbs 11:25 teaches, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes will himself be refreshed.” In other words, whoever blesses others will themselves be blessed and the one who waters will himself be watered.
Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews states, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Jesus taught that the first will be last and the last will be first in His kingdom (Matthew 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30) and that “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12).
Throughout the New Testament believers are admonished to be humble. Colossians 3:12 advises “Put on humility,” while 1 Peter 5:5 instructs “Clothe yourselves with humility.” And in 1 Peter 5:6 the text states, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”
That makes Jesus all the more amazing. The Lord of Lords humbled Himself! Being in very essence God, Jesus humbled Himself. Everything about Him was humility personified. As the first fruits to conquer death, Christ is also the first fruits of the last who is the first.
So we now have an advocate who has Himself been humble and can identify with our humility when we surrender to His Lordship. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).
Humility Is Foundational
Humility is foundational to the Christian faith. Humility removes the primary obstacle to faith which is pride. St Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Humility removes pride, whereby a man refuses to submit himself to the truth of faith.” Humility enables agape to establish virtue in our Christian experience.
Humility moves true believers from simply being hearers of the word to becoming doers of the word. In doing so, faith becomes active and agape flows freely. This is what James is getting at in the second chapter of his epistle regarding faith and deeds. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17).
James 1:27 states, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Agape brings unity with Christ and within the church. This is what Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-26.
When I think of agape in the modern era, my mind goes directly to Mother Teresa. She was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation of women dedicated to the poor, particularly to the destitute of India. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace. (Britannica.com).
Serving those less fortunate is a humbling experience that will melt the hardest of hearts and moisten the driest of eyes. My involvement in prison ministry (through Connecting Streams) has been the most profound seasoning in my own walk of faith, having seen firsthand the blessings of the gospel when inmates seek Jesus.
When Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10), the blessings of agape were intimated for those with the heart to serve. It is the most fulfilling and rewarding fruit of compassion and it is truly humbling when an inmate looks you in the eyes and says, “Don’t stop coming.”
The cognizance that my own failures have laid the foundation to be a support to others experiencing hardship is truly astounding. I recognize that the Lord has equipped me for this particular service by allowing me to stumble and appreciate the frailty of the human condition, and in doing so, enabled me to be an instrument of His agape love. Matthew 25:40 resonates to the depths of my soul and penetrates my heart. “The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”
Not all inmates are sympathetic to the ministry of chaplaincy and there can be resentment and resistance to our presence. But the Lord is always with us and provides the strength and the words to be effective ambassadors for Christ. Agape never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
In a dark world, there is light. King David wrote, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Jesus Christ personifies agape. He held nothing back when He willingly offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. And in humility I am compelled to offer agape to others in His honor. 1 Peter 4:10 reminds me, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” This is the essence of agape. The humility of agape. Amen.
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