Even If It Killed Him – Philippians 2

Philippians 2:1-13

2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,
2:2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
2:8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death– even death on a cross.
2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
2:11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2:12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

A reflection:

In my nearly three decades working with congregations, I have spent hours and hours in verses 2:5-11 of Philippians. These verses are taken by scholars to have been a kind of creed recited by the early church; they often call it “The Christ Hymn.” It’s a description of Jesus revealing to human beings the kind of god we believe in. Not an exploitative god who exalts himself above others, but one who is willing to turn expectations upside down in order to save the people who are looking to him for help. This savior empties himself, taking the form of a slave, to serve the ones who need to be saved, even if it kills him.

In our work we chose this “Christ Hymn” passage (plus one verse from the preceding chapter) as the text to dwell in, over and over, every single time a local church does spiritual discernment or moral deliberation or holy conversation over big issues or small, in order to put ourselves into the posture and frame of mind to empty ourselves of the need to win, to dominate, or to be proven right. Some referred to the process as getting caught being Christian instead of being right. Others noted that in these conversations there was no bloodshed and there were some tears shed.

Jesus’s disciples and even the religious leaders of his country had notions of a Messiah who would, by army, defeat those who had subjugated the believers in Yahweh. But Jesus’s methods and posture were not military; instead they were relational and compassionate. Jesus was no doormat, but he didn’t wield a sword. He loved teaching, showing that God wants the best for every person, no matter their nationality, religion, dietary preference, or career choice. Jesus embodied this universal love in front of thousands in his brief ministry, and his followers tried their best to do the same. We are to try our best to do the same. We are not to posture as the judging or smiting god. We are to posture as the one person in the room who shows compassion to the one other person in the room who needs it. May we succeed in doing that today and tomorrow. Even if it kills us.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for living among us as a human being who gave every ounce of energy and every drop of blood to embody your compassion for human beings everywhere. Help us to recognize when you have placed us near someone who needs that compassion, and then help us to give that compassion away to the one who needs it.  Amen.