He chooses to become least, to go down, to become nothing, to empty Himself, to humble Himself, to become obedient even to the point of death, the death of a cross. That is the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2 shows up in the lectionary one Sunday in Year A during a month of Philippians readings later in the Pentecost season, as well as here at Palm Sunday every year. But for my own preaching, the Christ hymn of Philippians 2 is a constant companion, a text I quote from in part probably one in every four to six sermons or so, and one I think about and pray in preparation even more than that. For this Sunday, though, the context invites us to pull out a couple of major points from the Christ hymn which confess the particular pitch of passion week.
Have this mind in you which is yours in Christ (Philippians 2:5). The “you” here is second person plural, the all y’all of first century Greek, and a good reminder of two things. First, while we are reading other peoples’ mail when we hear and study the New Testament epistles, we are not reading a personal letter meant for only one addressee. These words are written to many, written in joy and encouragement, in thanksgiving and affection for all the saints of that generous gathering in northern Greece who had witnessed the love of Christ to Paul and the many others ministered to by his mission. Also, prescription and description are linked together in this verse in such a way that the Philippian Christians (and your own hearers!) need not imagine the “mind of Christ” is anything other than a gift. It belongs to all y’all! Think this way because that is the mind you have been given!
Think what way? What does it mean to be Christ-minded, in description, in prescription? The immediate context nails this down. Memorize those last couple of verses before verse 5 and hear the unique virtue of Christianity. It is down-on-the-ground humility, considering others better than you, looking after the interests of others, and doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. No catalogue of virtues from the ancient world would ever have included humility as something to aspire to. No leadership advice these days does either. It is, in fact, a surprise reflected in the sermons and teachings of Jesus Himself, an ethic which seems rather bonkers when stacked up against human theology that aims at personal success, satisfaction, the healthy, wealthy, and wise of worldly wisdom. It is a surprise wrought in the person and work of Jesus. He is King of a kingdom where the first are last and the last first, where the greatest are least and the least greatest. And He chooses to become least, to go down, to become nothing, to empty Himself, to humble Himself, to become obedient even to the point of death, the death of a cross.
That is the mind of Christ. What it is not is considering equality with God something to be wrestled over, something to be grasped. The sense of this is simply the opposite of the selfish ambition, the squabbles and petty factions that come of wanting to look out for number one, to be number one. This is not what Jesus is like. This is not the mind of Christ. Going down is. Decreasing. Humbling. Down to the ground.
When I teach this, I often play with the word history, the etymology, of humility. The English vocabulary comes from Latin humus, which means earth, dirt (such as in the words exhume and posthumous). Humus, not hummus... totally different thing. That latter is chickpeas and tahini and garlic and olive oil and delicious. No, just one “m,” humus. That is on the ground. The lowest place you can go. The lower you get to the ground the bigger everyone else is. On your knees, like our Savior, the one who fulfills David’s song in Psalm 22, I am a worm and not a man... And this savior Jesus does these things, this humbling, this emptying, this obedience, this form of a slave. He does it all for you.
And this savior Jesus does these things, this humbling, this emptying, this obedience, this form of a slave. He does it all for you.
Here it will be helpful to recall the last three months of teaching through the gospels to remind yourself and your listeners of how (and why) Jesus humbles Himself in His earthly ministry. Do a quick history review for yourself. Remember that Jesus was baptized. Why? He had no sins to repent of! But He went into the water to fulfill all righteousness, to be washed in the dirty trickle that had the sins of all the repentant sinners of Israel in it. That is humility. He does that for you. This savior Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Why? He could just as easily have conquered the old evil foe a different way, and not in hunger and thirst, not at the end of forty days. But he went into battle in the weakness of our human flesh in order to stand in solidarity with you, because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:18), a high priest who sympathizes with you, who was tempted in every way just as you are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He does that for you.
There are other bits to point out from Jesus’ “state of humiliation” which demonstrate His humility. All of these, of course, point to and culminate in the ultimate act of His humility: Jesus laying down His life for the sins of the world. And that is on a cross. Paul will not let us get away from the cross. Even if this ancient hymn once omitted it, Paul insists on it. The death of a cross, the poena ultima, is the worst way to die, in shame, in humility, and in humiliation. Unnatural. Politically charged. Scandalous. Slavish. Low. The cross. Proclaim it, preacher, because that is where the salvation of the world is, and that is where the salvation of your hearer is. And do it because Jesus’ humility is for you, for your listener’s, on their behalf. Jesus’ humility is not low self-esteem or some critical failure. Nor is it simply some pious virtue set to us in order to strive to attain. It is the mind of Christ (which Paul insists is yours already and it belongs to you in the now!), the heart of the Gospel, the mission of His reign, the vision of His Kingdom. After all, it is for this reason that God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9).
There are so many names for this savior. It is not a bad idea to catalogue those for yourself: Jesus, Immanuel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Savior, Messiah, Christ, Son of Man, Son of David, and Son of God. In the Palm Sunday procession gospel (John 12), He is called the King of Israel. Pointing up the irony of calling this man the King of Israel on Sunday and mocking Him as King of the Jews on Friday is the right direction for meditation on the passion of our Lord. But notice how this Philippians text would invite our confession of the name for salvation: Jesus Christ Lord (Philippians 2:11); the first creed of the Christian Church, the constant creed of every Christian still today (refer to Romans 10:9).
The itty-bitty word that moves Paul’s hymn from humility to exaltation is the Greek dio. I have rendered it above as it is for this reason. You will see it as therefore in plenty of translations, and that is not incorrect. Do you hear your old Greek teacher or Bible tutor saying, “What is the therefore, there for?” Dwell on that tiny word and you will notice how the exaltation and humiliation cannot be pulled apart. Christ’s resurrection, ascension, filling all things in Heaven and Earth (Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:8-10; Colossians 1:15-20; Colossians 2:9-10; also refer to Jeremiah 23:24), His unbounded, unhidden, utterly revealed, vindicated, and all powerful deity is the man with holes in His hands. Christ reigns, and reigns from the cross. Behold, His hands and side! Christus victor blesses with hands upraised, but always and ever sporting those rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified. You can also take a look at the rest of the words of that stanza in Crown Him with Many Crowns, a great reference to Philippians 2:10, that every knee will bow, even in Heaven, since no angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, but downward cast their wond’ring eyes at mysteries so bright.
One final word for you this week, preacher. Hear Philippians 2:5 as it is addressed to you. Description and prescription. Have the mind of Christ. Those are eyes and ears, a heart, a drive, an intention for the little and the least in your own flock, the lost and the languishing in your own family and neighborhood. And do not forget the good news, the description. You have the mind of Christ. That vision, that heart, that urgency to proclaim, to craft the message they need to hear in order to be saved. Have this mind in you which is yours in Christ Jesus. Proclaim His humiliation. Proclaim His exaltation! Confess His cross and passion. Confess His name, the name that is above every name, Jesus Christ Lord. And God bless you this Holy Week in your preparation for the glorious and glad celebration of Jesus’ paschal feast!
Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Philippians 2:5-11.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you preaching Philippians 2:5-11.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
