Waiting in Humiliation

Lamentations 3:22-33
October 11, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Christian life is hard. It is hard to wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. One reason why is this. We are waiting in humiliation.

People make fun of us because of our faith in Jesus. People look down on us when we love and obey our God. People step back and step away from us as they do not want to be associated with us.

This is our humiliation. It is a part of Christian suffering and persecution. And it is real. In 2 Timothy 3:12, we are told that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted. In 1 Peter 4:12, we are told that we are not to be surprised when we face suffering for our faith in Jesus. And in John 15:19, we are told that the world hates us.

What should we do when we face this kind of suffering and persecution? How are we to wait in humiliation?

The saints of old who lived after the fall and exile of Jerusalem waited in humiliation as well. The suffered and they were persecuted as their enemies mocked their downfall (1:7) and made them a laughingstock and an object for taunts (3:14).

Now if I was one of those saints of old, I would have wanted to stand up for myself. I would have tried to defend my honor and attack the enemies with mocking and taunting of my own.

But the Lord called his people to do something different. They were called to wait for him. They were called to take the humiliation that came from their enemies. And they were called to wait quietly for his ultimate salvation.

And the reason for all of this was because the Lord was good.

The saints of old were to wait for the Lord because he declared through his prophet Jeremiah that the exile would end after a set amount of time. Thus it is written, “For the LORD will not cast off forever.” The Lord was good.

The saints of old were to take the humiliation that came from their enemies because the humiliation was a part of the Lord’s loving discipline for his people so that they would know the misery of their sins and their need for him. Thus it is written, “…but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love….” The Lord was good.

The saints of old were to wait quietly for the Lord’s ultimate salvation because the covenant of grace was still in effect. The Lord was still going to fulfill his promise of salvation. The saints of old needed to remember that there would one day come a savior who would sacrifice his life for their sin and crush the head of the serpent and overcome death and possess resurrection life. Thus it is written, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” The Lord was good.

And finally, the saints of old were to do all of this because they were united with the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a very bittersweet moment in the book of Numbers when the Lord spoke to Aaron about the nation of Israel. Every tribe of Israel received a portion of the promised land - that is, every tribe except Aaron’s. The Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them.” But then the Lord said this to Aaron: “I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” This was a picture of the glorious truth that the Lord was united with his people and that he was their ultimate blessing and ultimate hope in life and in death. The narrator of Lamentations recalled this glorious truth in today’s passage. When the saints of old lost their city, their land, and their home, they needed to remember that they had this kind of relationship with the Lord. Thus it is written, “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord was good.

But then the Lord was very good… in his salvation for us. The Lord was very good in his incarnation when he was born of the Virgin Mary and when he dwelt among us. The Lord was very good in his righteousness when he lived a perfect and sinless life for us and when he fulfilled an obedience to the law that would eventually be credited to us. The Lord was very good in his sacrificial atonement for our sins when he suffered and died on the cross thereby satisfying all the justice and the penalty and absorbing all the wrath and the judgment and the hell that we deserved. The Lord was very good in his resurrection when he rose again from the dead in power and glory and when he vanquished death and declared himself to be the Son of God so that we too would have resurrection life as sons and daughters of God. The Lord was very good to the saints of old. And the Lord was very good to us here today.

Jesus’ salvation is really amazing. Today’s passage is a beautiful portrait of what our Lord did in order to save us. Jesus humbled himself for you when he was forsaken by his disciples, when he was scorned and rejected by the world, and when he was tormented by his persecutors. This was a part of his humiliation. And he had to wait in his humiliation.

People made fun of Jesus because of who he was and what he did. People looked down on him when he loved and obeyed the Father for our salvation. People stepped back and stepped away from him as they did not want to be associated with our Savior and Lord.

But through all of that, Jesus waited. He waited in his humiliation. He had to. He had to for your salvation. The words of Lamentations are true of him.

“Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him….” Jesus had to sit alone in silence. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, Jesus could not open his mouth. He had all the authority and all the supremacy and all the glory before his oppressors and his accusers who persecuted him and oversaw his crucifixion. Jesus was the Lord. But he sat alone in silence when it was laid on him for your salvation. Jesus waited. He waited in his humiliation… for you.

“Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.” Jesus gave his cheek to be struck. Jesus allowed himself to be insulted. People spat at him and mocked him and ridiculed him. Soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head and pretended that he was a king. They blindfolded him and beat him and asked, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” Jesus was the Lord. But he gave himself over to strikes and insults for your salvation. Jesus waited. He waited in his humiliation… for you.

“…Let him put his mouth in the dust — there may yet be hope….” Jesus lowered himself in such a way that his teeth was made to grind on gravel. He emptied himself by taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. In humility, he counted you more significant than himself. Jesus was the Lord. But he put his mouth in the dust and he humbled himself for your salvation. Jesus waited. He waited in his humiliation… for you.

Dear Highland, when you go through suffering and persecution because of your faith in Jesus, I pray that you will think about your Lord. When you are humiliated, I hope that you will remember his humiliation for you. And when you feel like standing up for yourself or defending your honor or attacking your enemies with mocking and taunting of your own, I urge you to wait.

You are united with Christ. You are to share in his sufferings (Philippians 3:10) and you are to share in his sufferings abundantly (2 Corinthians 1:5). Your life and your death is patterned after his life and his death.

Dear Highland, waiting is probably the most Christ-centered thing that you can do when people humiliate you because of your faith in Jesus. This is part of what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow the Lord (Luke 9:23). Waiting on the Lord is a spiritual skill. And receive humiliation for the sake of Jesus is a spiritual gift that nobody really talks about.

Take the humiliation. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, that is, if anyone insults or shames you because of your faith in Jesus, then turn your left cheek to him also. Take the humiliation. Your Lord actually wants you to take it (Matthew 5:38-42). If you do not take the humiliation, if you instead try to retaliate or vindicate yourself, then you are not living in accordance with your union with Christ.

Dear Highland, your humiliation comes with blessedness. The Lord said so. Blessed are the meek and blessed are those who are persecuted. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on Jesus’ account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you, prophets like the narrator of Lamentations. (Matthew 5:1-12).

Yes, it hurts when the world hates you. But remember that the world hates you because it hates Jesus. That sadness should hurt the most. The world is not ultimately persecuting you. The world is ultimately persecuting Jesus. We lament first because of this sadness.

Dear Highland, do not lose heart. The Lord is your portion. The Lord is good to his people. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. We can take the humiliation now because soon and very soon, it will end. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Soli Deo Gloria