Come Be My Follower - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site

“IAM...LOWLYINHEART” 31
inclined to do so. However, he did not angrily refuse; he
yielded in the light of her extraordinary faith, as we will
discuss in Chapter 14.—Matthew 15:22-28.
14 In countless ways, Jesus lived up to his own words
about himself: “I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart.”
(Matthew 11:29) His humility was not superficial, a mere
matter of form or good manners. It came from the heart,
his inner self. No wonder, then, that Jesus placed high priority
on teaching his followers to be humble!
Teaching His Followers to Be Humble
15 Jesus’ apostles were slow to cultivate humility. Jesus
was compelled to try again and again to reach them. For
example, on one occasion James and John through their
mother asked Jesus to promise them elevated positions
in God’s Kingdom. Modestly, Jesus replied: “This sitting
down at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give,
but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared
by my Father.” The ten other apostles were “indignant” at
James and John. (Matthew 20:20-24) How did Jesus handle
this problem?
16 He kindly reprimanded them all, saying: “You know
that the rulers of the nations lord it over them and the
great men wield authority over them. This is not the way
among you; but whoever wants to become great among
you must be your minister, and whoever wants to be first
among you must be your slave.” (Matthew 20:25-27) The
apostles had likely seen just how proud, ambitious, and
selfish “the rulers of the nations” could be. Jesus showed
that his followers must be different from those powerhungry
tyrants. They needed to be humble. Did the apostles
get the point?
15, 16. What contrast did Jesus note regarding the attitude of worldly
rulers and the attitude that his followers needed to cultivate?