Philippians 2 the epistle for Sunday 28 Sept 2014

Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV)

⁵Let 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 should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. 

I acknowledge my indebtedness to William Barclay for this reflection.

Barclay suggests that this piece of poetry of St Paul is ‘... in many ways  ... the greatest and the most moving passage that Paul ever wrote about Jesus ...’ Here he echoes what he has written elsewhere – that Jesus was rich, but for our sakes he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9) which seems to be the essence of Paul’s understanding. In our passage, Paul takes this further and re-states his understanding with a greater fullness and richness without parallel. Paul has been pleading with the Philippians to live in unity and harmony, to lay aside their disharmonies and discords, to shed their personal ambitions, their pride and desire for prominence and prestige ‘... and to have in their hearts that humble and selfless desire to serve, which is the very essence of the life of Christ.’ He ends his plea with verse 5 of our reading: ‘⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus ...’

Verse 6 is loaded with rich meaning and Barclay comes into his own as he unfolds the significance of the Greek words used. ‘... though he was in the form of God ...’ The word form is a translation of the Greek word morphe which refers to the essential form of something – that which never changes. This is a reference to what something is in its very essence. Here he is making the claim that Jesus was ‘... essentially and unchangeably God ...’ because he was in the morphe of God. There is another word for form – schema­ – which refers to the outward form – what something looks like. This continually changes as we age and other things happen to us. So, the schema of Jesus might change, but his essence – his morphe never would.

Verse 7 has another interesting word: emptied being a translation of the Greek word kenoun which literally means to empty – to pour something so that there is nothing left. This, in effect, gives us depth of understanding of the essence of the Incarnation – “He emptied himself of his deity to take upon himself his humanity.” He emptied his morphe of and took on the morphe of a servant. So being a man was not play-acting, it was stark reality – he really was fully human. The Greek clearly states that Jesus took on, not only the schema of man but the morphe as well.

Here we run into mystery – can one unchangeable morphe - be replaced by another unchangeable morphe? Tis indeed mystery all ... as Charles Wesley was to write. But what we do know is that it was and is true in Jesus – but something our finite minds simply cannot grasp – but it is good that we struggle and try, for in doing so, we find rich truth and blessing. It is not always in the answers that we are enriched but in seeking to ask and answer the questions.

I come back to the comment by one of my students: “Always trust a seeker after truth, but never one who claims to have found it!”

Paul’s reflections are never only theoretical or intellectual – they were always practical as theology and action are always bound together. Barclay writes: “Any system of thought for him must necessarily become a way of life.” These verses are some of the greatest theological utterances in the NT but their whole aim was ‘... to persuade and to compel the Philippians to live a life on which disunity, discord and personal ambition were dead.’

The great characteristics of Jesus’ life were humility, obedience and self-renunciation and we should all aspire to be like this. Jesus did not desire His own way; He desired only God’s way. Jesus put it this way, only those who humble themselves will be exalted (Mt 23:12).

Christians needs to follow the example of Jesus. True Christian greatness and Christian fellowship depend on the renunciation of self and are destroyed by the exaltation of self. Barclay continues: “Selfishness, self-seeking, and self-display destroy our likeness to Christ and our fellowship with each other.” It was the self-renunciation of Jesus that brought him the greater glory – the wondering worship of the entire universe – the bowing of every knee. Jesus won the hearts of people, not by blasting them with power, ‘... but by showing them a love, a self-renunciation, which cannot but move the heart.’

We do not fall at the feet of Jesus in broken submission, but ‘... in wondering love ...’  This theme is picked up by the hymn writer ... ‘love so, amazing, so divine, demands my soul my life my all.’ Worship is founded not on fear, but on love. As a result of Jesus’ humility and submission – God gave Jesus the name that is above every other name.

It is a biblical idea to give a new name to mark a new and definite stage in a person’s life: Abram became Abraham; Jacob became Israel the news names of Jesus are Christ and Lord. Lord comes from kurios which originally meant master or owner. It was always a title of respect: the official title of Roman emperors (Latin dominus) as well as the title for heathen Gods. Jesus is the master of all life, the Lord of all emperors (lords) – the God of gods.

So, Jesus Christ is Lord – to the glory of God the Father. Barclay suggests that verse 11 is one of the greatest verses in the New Testament. This is the aim of God – when ‘... every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord ...’ This is one of the marks of a Christian – we declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and that Jesus Christ is unique. Christians are those who give to Jesus the obedience we are not prepared to give to anyone else; we are prepared to give Jesus the love and loyalty and allegiance that we will give no one else in the universe. Our experience cannot be expressed in words ‘... but so long there is in his heart this wondering love, and in this life ... obedience.’ This is all that is required.  Barclay puts it brilliantly: “Christianity consists less in the mind’s understanding than it does in the heart’s love.”

One day all will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but they will do so to the glory of God the Father.

Too many Philippians had their eyes focused on themselves: the main aim of Jesus was to focus eyes on God the Father. Followers of Christ must think not of themselves, but of others – to seek not our own glory, but the glory of God.