There is too much of self and too little of Jesus in the ministry of all denominations. The Lord uses humble men to proclaim His messages. Had Christ come in the majesty of a king, with the pomp which attends the great men of earth, many would have accepted Him. But Jesus of Nazareth did not dazzle the senses with a display of outward glory and make this the foundation of their reverence. He came as a humble man to be the Teacher and Exemplar as well as the Redeemer of the race. Had He encouraged pomp, had He come followed by a retinue of the great men of earth, how could He have taught humility? how could He have presented such burning truths as in His Sermon upon the Mount? His example was such as He wished all His followers to imitate. Where would have been the hope of the lowly in life had He come in exaltation and dwelt as a king upon the earth? Jesus knew the needs of the world better than they themselves knew. He did not come as an angel, clothed with the panoply of heaven, but as a man. Yet combined with His humility was an inherent power and grandeur that awed men while they loved Him. Although possessing such loveliness, such an unassuming appearance, He moved among them with the dignity and power of a heaven-born king. The people were amazed, confounded. They tried to reason the matter out; but, unwilling to renounce their own ideas, they yielded to doubts, clinging to the old expectation of a Saviour to come in earthly grandeur. {5T 253.1}

(253) Der er for meget af selvet og for lidt af Jesus i alle trossamfunds virksomhed. Herren bruger ydmyge mænd til at forholde sine budskaber. Var Kristus kommet i en konges majestæt, med pomp som nærmer sig jordens store mænd, ville mange have antaget ham. Men Nazarets Jesus forblændede ikke sanserne med ydre herligheds udseende og gjorde dette til grundlag for deres ærefrygt. Han kom som en ydmyg mand, for at være Læreren og Eksempelet såvel som slægtens Forløser. Havde han udvist pomp og pragt, var han ledsaget med jordens store mænd, hvordan kunne han da have undervist i ydmyghed? Hvordan kunne han have frembragt så brændende sandheder som hans prædiken på bjerget? Hans eksempel var sådan, som han ønskede at alle hans efterfølgere skulle efterligne det. Hvor ville den ydmyges håb have været, hvis han var kommet i ophøjelse og boet som en konge på jorden? Jesus kendte verdens behov bedre end den selv gjorde. Han kom ikke som en engel, klædt i himlens pomp, men som et menneske. Forenet med sin ydmyghed, var der dog en indarvet kraft og glans der gav menneskene æresfrygt, medens de elskede ham. Selv om han havde en sådan yndighed, et så beskedent udseende, bevægede han sig iblandt dem, med en himmelskfødt konges værdighed og kraft. Folk var forbløffet, forbavset. De prøvede at forklare det; men i uvillighed for at fralægge egne idéer, hengav de sig i tvivl, de holdt sig til den gamle forklaring, om en Frelser der kommer i jordisk glans.