Meditation for September 12, 2007
From The Rev. Peter A. Munson
Philippians 2:1-11
"1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, havng the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Wisdom From Our Most Ancient Hymn
In the first verses of this passage (verses 1-5), Paul invites the new Christian believers in Philippi to imitate the humility of Christ, so that there might be unity among the people there. In most Bibles, verses 6-11 are indented and set apart. That is because most Biblical scholars consider these verses to be an ancient Christian hymn, one that pre-dates Paul, and which Paul quotes in this particular letter.
Jesus died and arose around 30 A.D. Paul's letters are the earliest writings in the New Testament, with most scholars dating his earliest letters around the late 40's and his latest letter around the early 60's. So, this "hymn about Christ" was probably used as a teaching tool for those who were becoming Christians. It was probably written somewhere between the late 30's and the early 50's (before Philippians was written).
Paul writes to the Philippians, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus..." and then he continues with the hymn in verses 6-11.
Verse 6 talks about Christ's status before He took on human form. "Though He was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited." Are we ever tempted to get too full of ourselves? Are we ever tempted to exploit others, for our own personal gain? Christ Jesus did not do those things.
Verses 7 and 8 (the second stanza of the hymn) refer to Jesus' Incarnation and His life on earth. "... but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross." Those who are humble are "down to earth". They have their feet on the ground. They are able to assess honestly who they are, what their gifts are, and what they have been called to do. In this case, Christ Jesus literally "came down to earth." He took on "the form of a slave." This can be thought of in at least two ways, it seems to me. He took on human life, which was a much lower status than the one He had originally, when He was "in the form of God." Second, like a slave, He was absolutely subject to the will of His master. We must put aside all the inhumane and evil realities of slavery for a moment, if we are to make sense out of this passage, and remember that this is a reference to Jesus being a slave to the will of His Father in heaven. Jesus was given a mission - to restore all people to unity with God - and He gave His assent to that mission... fully. In this case, it led to His death. "... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross." Jesus was so humble and so obedient that He allowed Himself to be killed, even though - before His Incarnation - had had been "in the form of God."
Verses 9-11 (the final stanza) refer to His resurrection and the status that Jesus - the Christ - has now. "Therefore [that is, because of this humble obedience, which resulted in his death] God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth [all people everywhere!], and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father." In other words, the obedient slave has become the Master - we might say the Supreme or Ultimate Master. We, as Christians, see this one who humbly took on human flesh - for us - as Lord, Savior, and Master. This is the only One we should bow to, according to the ancient hymn - the God who later became known as the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I am reminded of one other thing. On a number of occasioins, when Jesus was teaching, He said some variation of this: "The greatest among you will be your servant ["servant" can also be translated "slave"]. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12) Similarly, "...whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)
Jesus didn't just teach these words to others. He lived them out, even unto death - death on a cross. He became the slave of all, so that we might live. Paul says to the believers in Philippi (and to us), "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Be humble. Be obedient to God's particular will for you. Be so humble and obedient that you are willing to die for others. Be so humble and obedient that you are willing to be a servant (slave) for God. Make God your Master, and no one else. And then see how God exalts you! Or, if you prefer, try to make life all about you, and your wishes, and your individual desires, and wait to see how God humbles you.
We have a lot to contemplate, from this hymn which might be the very earliest Christian hymn.