Condescend

Romans 12:15-16 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

The word condescend has fallen on rough times. Far from what it meant when the translators of the King James Bible put in it their translation.

Today it is seen as an attitude of superiority. "Don't speak in such a condescending tone to me!" "He was so condescending to me!"  are ways that we see this word. But the original Greek and even the original English has a whole different meaning.
συναπάγω  sün-äp-ä'-gō   
means
1) to lead away with or together
2) metaph. to be carried away with
a) of a thing, i.e. by a thing, so as to experience with others the force of that which carries away
b) to yield or submit one's self to lowly things, conditions, employments: not to evade their power

So when we look at the Greek we see that Paul is counseling us to "be carried away" with those whose lives are not based on pride. We are to be led by their example of living a life without the marks of superiority. He tells us to live a life that is willing to be a common person in submitting to the things that everyone else faces in life. In short we are not to place ourselves above others.

It is just the opposite of what we think of today when we think of condescending.

As I have been hearing this verse over and over in my heart in the last few days I have come to more fully appreciate at least one aspect of what it is trying to say.

Superiority is a great way to insure there is no intimacy with others.

Have you ever met someone who always has to be above you. As a teacher, I must admit that many of us who teach have a hard time moving out of the role once we are out of the classroom.

It is impossible to be connected emotionally to someone who always has to be your superior.

In marriage it is absolute death to intimacy of any kind.

Deep emotional connectedness requires vulnerability. Those who always place themselves in a superior position do so to keep themselves from being vulnerable. That is why their relationships do not move beyond a surface level.

But Paul is trying to tell us that the way we are going to touch the world we inhabit is not through a superior position. It will be by joining the world as an equal and not a superior.

The first place we see this is in our estimation of our relationship with God.

Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

When we stand in the place of the Pharisee..... and I have stood there...... we can not fully embrace the Truth, Mercy or Grace of God. The truth would bring us to our senses that we are in desperate need of a saviour. Admitting that we need mercy places us on the same level as everyone else that we think we are better than. And finally coming to see that we are given grace even in the gift of the air we breathe is death to our self-sufficiency.

When we come to understand the great heart of our God and that all of life is a gift from Him we no longer need to be better than anyone. We can join all of humanity in eternal gratefulness that God cares for all of us.

The second thing that superiority inhibits is our relationship with others. If we view ourselves as somehow superior to others we will eat the fruit of pride. Not only that, but we will never be able to get alongside a person walking through the grief of recognition of their heart's reality before God and weep with them. I can imagine the heart of the man who stood far off and was coming to grips with who he really was. I wonder what brought him to that place?

Did his world fall apart through a broken marriage that he knew was really his fault?

Did he commit some horrendous crime that he was unable to push down the guilt and now it came rushing out?

Did the hopes of a once cherished relationship with God fall to the ground and now after years he recgnized what he had lost in his prodigal journey?

Or was he keenly aware that he had looked down on others so long that it had broken any fellowship with any other living being including and especially God.

We do not know. What we do know is he needed someone come alongside of him knew the road he was travelling. 

That's exactly what Jesus does. 

And that is what it means to condescend to men of low estate.

The last issue I was thinking about is superiority leaves us eternally insecure with ourselves.

I know that there are lots of ways people try to deal with the issue of salvation. Some are the frozen chosen who never think a moment about their relationship with God outside of being convinced that they were chosen and who cares about the rest of the world.

This is the very essence of the heart of the Pharisee. Me and God and who cares about anyone else - especially this sinner standing next to me. I'm right with God and that's all that matters. But I believe that the root of superiority is a need to convince ourselves that we are secure when we are not. Only living in the truth, mercy and grace of God brings us internal security. 

God's Truth says that we have all sinned..... ALL.... and have come short of God's Glory. That settles the issue of being good enough to merit anything but hell from God.

God's Mercy says that while were were yet sinners Jesus died for us. Jesus was God's eternal gift to us. It tells of a love that we can rest in. It tells us of a heart that is filled with desire to be reconciled to us. It says that when our best efforts were not enough God Himself made a way for us to come to Him.

Finally God's Grace tells us that He is able to empower us to live the life of humility in which we do not need to compete with anyone for value. A life of condescention actually lifts us up. Whoever exalts himself will be brought low. Whoever brings himself low will be exalted.

I have learned a very practical way to bring this reality into my life. Jesus said it in a simple commandement that is often overlooked or overspirituallized.

Luke 14:7-11 And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. 10 "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. 11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I find that looking for the place that Jesus would take and filling it is where I find His life.

I first understood this principle when I was in my last year of high school. I was a fairly popular guy. I was liked by many people. I was a Christian.

For several weeks I had noticed a person at my school that it seemed that everyone despised. I began to pray for him. I once had known the pain of being the school punching bag. That had been years before in another school. No one was punching this person but the pain of rejection was clear in every step he took. When he would go sit a table with people at it they would all get up and leave.

As I prayed for this person I felt God say to me, "I would sit with him regardless of the cost." I knew just what he meant. And I loved Jesus for doing it. I was once in the same place and Jesus had sat with me. So I walked across the lunchroom and sat with him. I immediately lost most of my popularity. But soon I had made the connection with my new friend and was finding that I had far more to gain from the friendship from him than he did from me. I was no longer a noble person stooping to help some poor individual whose station in life was far below me. I found a real friend and a real relationship.

But the next thing that happened was even more wonderful. Soon the table was filled with all the rejected and despised ones of the school. And one by one they found Jesus. Before long the school was swept up in revival.

The Spirit of God moved on students in the most unusual ways. People would be praying for each other in hallways, at football games, in class. The Christian teachers became mentors to all these young people that were just learning about what it meant to follow Jesus. One of the local churches began holding meeting for the students.

Eventually the church I attended ended up renting the school on Sunday to hold services there.

The fire of God moved far beyond the school and the churches as we went into parks and on the streets on the weekends to share the message with others. It was the first revival I witnessed. The primary mark of it is one that I have learned from history has been the primary mark of all revivals - humility.

When the people of God begin to undertand their blessing as being a gift of God's grace and not something they merit they begin to do what Jesus did..... condescend. To humble themselves for His sake and others' sake. They come out of the high towers of their self righteousness, they come out of the walls of their safe places of worship and to walk across rooms to sit at the last seat..... with those who are despised and rejected..... just like He was and just like He did.