Regardless of human beings' assessment of themselves, everyone is in a state of desperate need and without hope in this world. The religious leaders of Christ's day did not consider themselves downtrodden. They looked down on the poor, unsophisticated common people. They did not recognize their true state of spiritual poverty. However, the events of Christ's first advent, including the choice of Mary to bear the Messiah, underscore the truth that God comes to save a lowly people, something all must realize in order to receive the salvation He brings.