Cassia

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” Philippians 2:8 (KJV).

In 2016, I did a study on the ingredients that God told Moses to gather for the making of the anointing oil in the Old Testament. I was curious for I believe that nothing in the Word of God is an accident. Knowing that God Himself gave the instruction for the anointing oil, I tried to study what each ingredient represents in the anointing that He wants us to have.

Cassia is one of these ingredients. Also known as the golden shower tree, Cassia is a beautiful flowering plant. This tree ranges from Pakistan eastward throughout Myanmar and Thailand and south to Sri Lanka. It is the national flower of Thailand and the state flower of Kerala in India.

Cassia is one of the weeping trees. Soft, limp twigs characterize this group of trees. The feature leads to a bent crown and pendulous branches that can cascade to the ground. In the case of the golden shower tree, it reaches a certain height with fast growth. When it reaches its maximum height, the flower heads start to bend downward and reaches the peak of its bloom.

One interesting feature of Cassia is that it will never reach the peak of its bloom if its flower head doesn’t start to bend downward. No matter how beautiful its yellow flowers are, it will never bloom into its full potential beauty without bending downward.

In the Bible, cassia was translated from the Hebrew word qadad which means to contract or to bend the body (or neck) in deference. This is not a coincidence as God never releases His anointing to people until they choose to bend in humility before Him.

God never releases His anointing to people until they choose to bend in humility before Him.

Raymart Lugue

Many people think that humility is a sign of weakness. In the world, being the first person to say sorry means that you’re the one who wronged the other. Choosing to prefer other people means your skills are not enough to do the task successfully. Being the last in line means you are the most unimportant person in the room.

Jesus Christ, however, has a completely opposite definition of power and humility. He teaches that the way up is down. If we want to be great in the Kingdom of God, we have to be a servant. He calls His ministers not to exercise dominion over His people and gave us a perfect example by saying, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus Christ, however, has a completely opposite definition of power and humility. He teaches that the way up is down.

Raymart Lugue

Jesus had nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. There is nothing more powerful than the power of the cross. What Christ did on the cross has the power to forgive any kind of sin and heal every kind of disease. His cross removed the barrier between humanity and His holiness, inviting us to come boldly to the throne of His grace.

The power of the cross, however, was made possible because Christ humbled Himself. He, being the Almighty God, had the chance to deliver Himself from the sting of death, but His humility and meekness brought Him to the greatest victory of all.

Are we willing to humble ourselves? Like Cassia, are we willing to bend downward just to see the power of real anointing, the power of humility?