Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSVue)
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human,
8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name,
10 so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The letter to the church at Philippi is short but important. It was written by Paul to the church at Philippi, which was the first Christian church in Europe, planted there by Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16). Paul – who had been ministering in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) was given a vision of a man calling him to come to Macedonia and minister to them there (Acts 16:9,10). Philippi was a city that had been conquered by the father of Alexander the Great – Philip II – and was on one of the most important trade routes going through Macedonia, the Via Egnatia. It was, at the time of Paul, an important trading center. Paul established the church there and, as is seen in Philippians 1:3, it held an special place in his heart.
This passage, from chapter 2, is especially powerful. Philippians is one of the “prison epistles”; letters that were written by the apostle while under arrest (the other three are Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon). Paul had been placed under arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21), but had been transferred to Ceasarea, which was the seat of power within the province of Judea (Acts 24). (The Romans kept their procurator in Ceasarea, not Jerusalem.) Ultimately, Paul is transferred several times, finally appealing – as was his right as a Roman citizen – to an audience with the Emperor – Nero – himself! In Acts 28, Paul finally arrives in Rome.
In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul states, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the progress of the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to every else that my imprisonment is for Christ” (vv. 12, 13). We can infer from this that Paul had likely written this epistle while in captivity in Rome for the word that Paul uses to reference the “imperial guard” is praetorio, meaning the Praetorian Guard, who were the personal protectors of the emperor himself.
Paul had seen a number of leaders, both Gentile and Jew. He had appeared before the Roman procurator Antoninus Felix and his successor, Porcius Festus, and the Jewish king, Herod Agrippa II. He had likely appeared before Nero himself; the very pinnacle of Roman power. He had witnessed human “leadership”, power, and authority. It is in this backdrop that he writes these verses in the second chapter. He contrasts Jesus to these human leaders, many who had seized power through devious means or used their offices for their own personal advancement, glory, and wealth.
When Paul states that “Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness” (vv. 5-7), the word he uses for “grasped” is harpagmon. This word, in Greek, has the connotation not just of “grasping” something but seizing it, plundering it. In other words, Paul is saying, “Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself (Paul uses the word meaning “poured himself out”), taking on the form of a slave.” How radical to first-century ears. Jesus – who was equal to God – did not exploit that position but, rather, took the most powerless form possible in the first-century world. He humbled himself, as it says in v. 8, and became obedient even to the point of death and death on a cross.
Power has been a struggle for humanity since before history. History is replete with the examples of the corrupting effect of power. Greed, control, and manipulation typically characterize human leadership. God’s call to humanity – in the example of Christ – is that leadership comes not from exploiting position, not from seizing it, not from using it to advance one’s own agenda. Rather, godly leadership, the leadership that is the example of Christ himself, comes from being obedient to God and allowing one’s self to be a servant to others.
“Servant leadership” is a term that is used extensively in leadership circles since the first article – written by Robert Greenleaf in 1970 – coined the term in his essay “The Servant as Leader”. However, what Paul is talking about here is not “servant leadership” but “emptying leadership”. Leadership that seeks not to acquire power for itself but to give power to others. Leadership that is characterized not by exalting one’s self, but by exalting God and God’s kingdom.
In our modern times, we equate power with wealth, prestige, and authority. Yet, we find – in Paul’s passage here – that that is not what God equates to true power. Authority that seeks to seize power and take it from others, power that was seen all to regularly in the Roman Empire, if not our own times, is not the authority that God grants. Rather, it is the obedient doulos – slave to and for others – who is obedient to God and humble whom God exalts.
Paul closes this passage with the clearest vision of God’s vindication of Jesus when he writes, “Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus is the ultimate and final authority; not because it was his by right but because it was bestowed by the Father in vindication of his obedience and humility.
As Paul implores the Philippians in v. 5, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” May we find, in ourselves, the ability to be obedient and humble, not seizing power, not exploiting position, not taking advantage of privilege, but empty ourselves and, in doing so, give witness to the kingship of our Lord.
This image is meant to capture the moment that someone would experience when bending their knee to look into the eyes of Christ himself while proclaiming him Lord. We can only begin to imagine what such a moment would be like, but the intent is to capture him considering the viewer while the light of God radiates from above. The crown is also evocative of his original crown composed of thorns but now gilded as would suit a king.
All rights to the image and meditation are reserved to the artist.
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