The Power of Humility, Humor, and Hospitality

I’m sure most of you have heard Elon Musk closed the deal with Twitter this Thursday. You might have also seen the video of him carrying a sink into Twitter’s headquarter in San Francisco, tweeting, “Let that sink in.” People like him because he is hilarious and down-to-earth.

He bought Twitter for 44 billion, but many experts believe he had overpaid—at least about 20 billion. His purpose is to allow Twitter to be the global town square for free speech. As someone who came from a country that controls free speech, I appreciate his intention. It’s seriously needed in a divisive time like this.

Some people think he is naïve because it’s an impossible dream. But we must remember this is not the first impossible mission Elon Musk has attempted—for example, Tesler, SpaceX, Starlink, and the Boring Company.

Most importantly, his Starlink satellite internet service has saved Ukraine from getting cut off from communication. Can you imagine how Ukraine could survive and resist for so long without the Internet? I know some ideologues hate him, but what’s new—the Pharisees have been around since Jesus’ time.

The main problems of the Pharisees are a lack of humility, humor, and hospitality. They are so uptight and critical of everything and eventually crucified Jesus. A lack of humor can make a person heinous. Do you know the words “human, humility, and humor” came from the same Latin root word, “humus,” which means “earth?” A person without humility and humor is not a human—not down-to-earth.

After buying Twitter, Elon Musk changed his Twitter profile to “Chief Twit.” We all know a twit is a silly or foolish person. That means he is making fun of himself. You need humility to make fun of yourself. Maybe from now on, the word “twit” will have a new meaning. Humility is also a source of creativity.

We know children are creative because they are humble. Maybe that’s why Jesus wants us to become like children to maintain our humility, humor, and hospitality. Never grow up and become like the humorless Pharisees.

Today, we will look at another billionaire in the Bible who was humble, humorous, and hospitable. His name was Zacchaeus. What’s amazing is that, within a glance, Jesus connected with him, and they became buddies despite the grumbling and sneering of the ideologues.

I am sure Jesus was drawn to him because they share similar personality traits reflecting God’s image. As we know, Jesus personifies humility, humor, and hospitality. Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house.” He reveals that humility, humor, and hospitality signify salvation.

So, today, we will learn from this lighthearted story about how to live a life that attracts divine attention and draws eternal blessings. Let’s begin!