Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
With these words Jesus sums up the essence of His teaching, revealing the reversed law of earthly authority. Before God, greatness is not determined by power, wealth, or human reputation, but by humility. Whoever strives to exalt himself, making human glory his support, will in the end be found in a humbled state, because he built his greatness on passing foundations. But whoever humbles himself before God, renouncing self-exaltation, God Himself raises by His grace and will. This word is at once a warning and a promise: pride leads to ruin, and humility to true honor. In this way Jesus shows that in the kingdom of God, the path to greatness passes through the door of humility.