¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

¹⁷ If you [Greek: if, and you do] know these things,

When it comes to humility the important thing is not what you know. “These things” refers to verses 14 and 15.

blessed are you if you do them.

It is not enough to know what Jesus teaches; we must “do them.” Acting on what we know is at the heart of Christian living. A theoretical knowledge is not sufficient unless it transitions into action.

The Greek word for “blessed” does not mean “happy.” Neither does it pertain to our feelings. The idea is a well-oriented soul; the concept is the state of our soul. A “blessed” person is the object of God’s favor. It is our blessedness from God’s viewpoint. The Greek word here is the term for the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. This is blessedness in God’s eyes. The smile of God is on this person.

“Blessed” is a state. This state is not affected by outside circumstance but is intrinsic within. This is also a characteristic of God and is derived from Him. No one can make God blessed. In other words, we cannot acquire this state apart from our relation to God.

There is a blessed independence from the values of the world in this. Blessedness is a condition of the soul where its satisfaction is derived from God. This does not imply that we will not have trouble in life. There is no doubt that trouble will come our way. The issue is where we derive resources in the midst of trouble.

The essential dynamic about humility is to exercise it toward fellow believers. If the disciples followed Jesus’ pattern, God would pronounce a “blessed” verdict on them. It is one thing to know truth and another to practice it. There is no such thing as coming to “know” the Word and not applying it.

PRINCIPLE:

Blessedness comes from resources found in God Himself.

APPLICATION:

God blesses believers not for what they know but by their application of or response to what they know. The entire ministry of Christ was one of service (Mr 10:45). His followers need to submit to this kind of service.

The smile of God is upon those who are humble. Humility primarily relates to God and not to our relationship to others. It is our willingness to accept God’s grace on our lives. Self-giving servanthood is the model Christians should follow.

The inner spiritual condition of a person will produce the kind of service that the Lord expects of us. The true disciple looks upon any opportunity to serve the Lord as a great opportunity to advance the gospel. Blessedness comes through service.

Spiritual pride has caused many disasters in ministry. The biblical model is the giving of self to others. We are not greater than our Lord in these things.

We cannot say, “It is beneath my dignity to serve others” if we truly follow the Lord’s example. Humility is at the heart of following Christ.