Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:7-8 NIV
The Context:
It is quite difficult to fully explain the pain, purpose and power behind the words of today's extract. Think about the person of whom these words are written: the son of God, glorious in all his beauty, holy in all his power and mighty in all his being. The son of God who is Light himself, of the type the world has not seen yet, came into the darkness of this world to save it from itself. Imagine him leaving all that glory behind in heaven, and being content to be born as a man like ourselves. The only thing that made a huge difference was that he was not born of the natural birth process of humankind, but by a process that had to support his purpose.
Only a pure lamb without spot, wrinkle or blemish could be sacrificed as a sin offering to God, and the Lamb of God, without sin in his nature or history, was the only one qualified to pay that price. That is just a tip of the plan that brought Jesus to earth, and all of us on earth are also part of the process and plan that makes Easter a major part of our lives.
The Message:
In his Godly state, he could not be killed, so imagine the sacrifice made to come down to earth like us so he could save us in that nature, so we could then look like him and end up with him. The cross would not have been possible without the humble birth. How would he have been able to understand our weaknesses if he didn't walk in our shoes or in our paths? How would I be able to trust my life to one who is not able to guarantee eternal life by rising from the dead himself?
Even though he is Lord and Master, he took the form of a servant. He was about service, not mastery. He did not need to prove that he was the Master, so he was free to serve. His service led him to wash his disciples' feet, and nothing changed the facts around his power and authority. How easy is it to let the world dictate what is beneath our status. How easy is it to allow that which is temporal and of this world distract us from that which is eternal. How easy is it for the world's principles and processes to be our focus, at the expense of that which is of God's.
His nature as a man made it imperative for him to fulfil the purpose behind this new nature. His nature as a man aligned with God's plan of salvation for all mankind. And to imagine the worst kind of death possible: death on a cross. God himself declared that cursed be anyone who hangs on a tree, so Jesus took on that which was so against his nature, but which he had to deal with in our own nature, so we could walk in his own nature. By his death on the cross, he dealt with all the curses and pain linked to death on a cross, and opened the doorway for us to walk into the new life his own life has opened up for us.
Obedience was his lifestyle, even to the point where his obedience led to God looking away from him as he hung on that cross. The Holy God could not look at sin, even as his own son bore the sins of the world. And he did not need to be compelled to give life; he was willing to. The joy that would follow; the lives that would be saved; the eternity that would be birthed in the hearts of men made the sacrifice worth it.
The Response:
Now that I know all that I have been offered, what is my response? Would I take God up on his offer? Will I allow the finished work of Jesus on the cross also become a finished work in my own life? What lessons from the life of Jesus would I emulate? Am I full of a sense of importance, or am I humble enough for God to be visible in and through me? Am I quick to embrace God's instructions, even when I do not see the full picture? His life teaches me that my own life must be found in him if it will end up where he is. I must take stock today; tomorrow may be too late. Eternity hangs on the answers I have to those questions. His time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment