Philippians 2:8)

This verse along with the larger section of Scripture from Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is one of the more familiar portions of the Bible.  Most scholars believe that this overall section (verses 6-11) may actually be one of the earliest Christian hymns—a poem that lifts up the identity and mission of Jesus Christ.

This individual verse has two focuses.  First, is the emphasis upon humbling himself.  Think about it for a moment.  Jesus, who is truly God, humbles or lowers himself so that he could become a human being.  Jesus empties himself—he subjects himself to the limitations of being a human (e.g. feeling pain, limiting himself to a physical form, subjecting himself to the possibility of death).  He does all this in order that by becoming a human being he is able to accomplish his overall mission—reconcile the world to the Father.  It is only through his willingness to become humble himself that Jesus can bring redemption and salvation to the world.

The second focus in this text is the notion of becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.  Personally, the last phrase of this text (even death on a cross) has always spoken to me.  With the added phrase, ‘even death on a cross,’ it highlights the notion that this type of death is even more gruesome or worse than other forms of death.

In some ways, our culture has sanitized the notion of death on a cross.  When most of us think about crosses, the first images we think about are probably nice wooden crosses or gold crosses that we see in church buildings or wear around our necks.  In reality, the cross was a symbol that evoked terror in most people.  The Roman government used crosses (which were in public places) as a way of sending a message of ‘Don’t Mess With Us’ to all people.  If people opposed Rome, they could very easily find themselves upon a cross.  Crosses were symbols of the death penalty.  It would be like in today’s world using a symbol of an electric chair or a gas chamber or lethal injection.

It is amazing that a symbol of death in the ancient world is now a symbol of life.  For to most people the cross is a symbol of life and forgiveness—that it is about what Jesus did on the cross that is most significant—giving his life so that we might have life eternally.

This is what true love is about.  Jesus humbled himself and was obedience even to death—he died a gruesome and terrible death so that his mission of redeeming the world would be completed.