Sacrifice and humility

Often prayer comes to us when we’re on bended knee: “Help me,” “Show me,” “Forgive me.” When we’re in a difficult situation, a few words spoken with simple honesty can change our world. The characters in this week’s Bible Lesson, titled “Sacrament,” show us how they made a covenant with God (the definition of sacrament) and let go of—or sacrificed—their human ego. They turned away from their agonizing situation and presented a transformed heart. 

Our guide to spiritual harmony comes as a set of promises from God, often called the Beatitudes. I love how each promise in this week’s Responsive Reading is a gift to us from God (see Matthew 5:1–12 ). They give us hope—and are a practical guide to living. One of my favorites is Matthew 5:5, “Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!” (Good News Translation). The Bible Lesson highlights stories in Matthew that exemplify the humility, hope, and promise of this beatitude.

When a woman from Canaan asks Jesus to heal her daughter (see Matthew 15:21–28 , citation 7), he does not answer her. Kneeling, she prayerfully asks again. Jesus responds, stating that his mission was for the people of Israel. Instead of recoiling with a hurt ego, she perseveres, knowing that this is her path to God’s promise. She pleads, “Lord, help me.” Jesus responds again with an even stronger comment, using an analogy of a dog. With extreme humility, she declares, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Her extraordinary honesty was strong enough for Jesus to answer, “O woman, great is thy faith.” Jesus, humbled by her faith, heals her daughter. In doing so, Jesus expressed great humility, particularly after his initial responses to her requests. Some scholars suggest Jesus was testing her faith. Others suggest that, after praying, his understanding unfolded just as ours does. What appeared like a human impasse unfolded as an expression of love—a spiritual healing. 

Knowing he would be crucified, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39 , cit. 12). When faced with challenges, don’t we sometimes first desire for the challenge to go away, then wholeheartedly leave it to God? In his second prayer, Jesus completely hands it over to God: “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42 , cit. 12). Quickly, in deep humility, Jesus’ prayers move from asking for salvation from the imminent crucifixion, to trusting his life with God. 

Psalms 51:17 (cit. 2) defines the relationship between sacrifice and humility: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart ….” Therefore, when we are willing to give up the human picture, our true, spiritual nature as a reflection of God shines through. We humbly allow God’s law of goodness to radiate in our experience as it did with the Canaanite woman and Jesus: “This is the new understanding of spiritual Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 33 , cit. 26).