#178

From God to Servant

As I’m sitting here determining how to begin our study of Philippians for class tonight, I have landed on Philippians 2:5-6.

             Who, being in very nature God, did not consider

             equality with God something to be grasped, but

             made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a

             servant, being made in human likeness.

How could He? How would He? Should He? How could he give up God, or the very nature of God, and become a servant, or take the very nature of a servant? Those two natures are about as opposite as any two natures could possibly be. I remember when my wife and I moved to New Mexico from Dallas, Texas. Our change in location resulted in culture shock.

How could Jesus take that-moving from the nature of God to the nature of man-moving from the position of master to the position of slave? I wonder if He experienced nature shock. Did he even know what that would involve? Had he experienced the nature of a servant before, or had he just witnessed it from his position with God?

2:8 tells us that this required humility. That almost sounds like an understatement. It was a level of humility that no humanity has ever developed. Sometimes we find ourselves humbled when the police officer has pulled us over for a traffic violation. We feel pretty sheepishly humble when an error on our tax return has been found not by us, but by the IRS. Jesus’ humility did not come as a result of a mistake he had made, but from a heart that was more than willing and anxious to carry out the Will of His Father.

One who was in very nature God, humbled himself, and put on the nature of a servant. No, I don’t know how he could do it. But I do know that in order for us to be saved, and have a relationship with God, he should have done it!

The result of this is,

        “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

         in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and

         every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to

         the glory of the father (2:10-11).”

Don't know how He could have, but He did. Don't know how He would do it, but He did. Don't know if He should, but He thought He should and did.