He never degraded or put others down to make Himself look better. He actually debased Himself by wearing the attire of a servant and washing His disciples feet. The master was the servant. He was the servant King. What a very different idea about leadership than what mankind has had since before Rome continuing until today.
To be a leader or an example in your own life takes more courage and bravery than it does to simply follow in lock step with everyone else. To simply quote others rather than to question, ponder and pray for understanding, atrophies the mind. It is a symptom of a weak mind rather than a strong one.
Strength mentally, physically and spiritually requires sacrifice. It requires persistence. It requires dedication. It requires risk and courage. It also requires a sense of honor.
But weakness means giving in and giving up instead of standing up. Weakness means taking the path of least resistance not because it is efficient but because it requires no risk and delivers, more often than not, instant gratification whereas strength means learning good things come to those who wait.
Cowardice is borne from weakness and selfishness but strength develops honor because honor is selfless which is why it bears the fruits of heroism.
Christ willingly suffered the Atonement for each of us. How He treated the lepers, the beggars, the blind, the tax collectors and sinners of every kind defined His ministry. But He did not give special treatment to the Kings and high priests and Roman Prefects. He also did not mistreat them for falling short of the glory of God though they sinned very differently than the other sinners He ministered to.
The lesson for me is that we should not praise the rich and degrade the poor or the other way around. We should love and honor one another as Christ does us. And not judge others for sinning differently than we do.
See Christ is seen as perfect and Ge was, He was blemish free. Not a single sin. But none of us can live up to that but we can be made whole in God. Jesus often said "Your faith has made you whole." He never said "Your faith has made you sinless" but He did forgive others of their sins.
So even if we can't be sinless we can do more, day by day, to live with the honor, the love, the understanding and compassion that Christ lived His life by. It's not just that it takes true strength to live that way, it's that as we get closer day by day to living Christ like we develop true strength and we will increase in Christlike attributes the more we exercise them.
