Radical Obedience, Humble Service, and Self-Giving Love

“Radical Obedience, Humble Service, and Self-Giving Love” – February 9^th, 2025 (Philippians)

Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV) – “5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of 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.”

Roman governor Pliny the Younger requested advice from Emperor Trajan around 112 AD about how to deal with Christians, describing their singing of hymns “to Christ as a god.” There aren’t many things Bible commentators agree on, but one of them is that today’s passage is part of a hymn that was likely sung in worship services! This “Christ hymn,” as it is known, is one of the most exalted, most beloved, most discussed, and most debated passages among the writings of Paul, and there are two reasons why Paul includes it here.

1. Jesus lived and suffered in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love

The first reason why Paul includes the Christ hymn in his epistle of suffering matched by joy is to show us that Jesus lived and suffered in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love.

The first phrase in today’s passage says to “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” As we considered last week, it’s important to notice New Testament pronouns, especially when they’re plural! Having the same mind as Jesus is not about figuring out what Jesus was thinking. This phrase literally means, “Think among y’all as is proper for those who are united in Christ Jesus.” The key is to remember that we are, together, in Christ, a common phrase in all of Paul’s writings. The main thing is our union, together, with Christ, our relationship in Christ. Paul is telling us that, because we are united with Christ, we are to, together, look at Jesus and keep the life of Christ going.

If we want to look at who Jesus really is, we need to stop getting our theology from paintings, postcards, movies, memes, unsound lyrics, or urban legends. To discover who Jesus is, our primary source is the Bible, especially the New Testament, and in particular, the gospels. These contain everything we need to know about what Jesus was like. That’s actually one of the meanings of the word “gospel” – written accounts of the life of Jesus. The early church gathered the sayings and parables of Jesus and the stories about Jesus, and they expected the risen Lord to continue speaking to the churches through these accounts.

In this short Christ hymn, we learn five important things about Jesus.

a. Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited

Jesus never used anyone or anything for personal gain or reward. Philippians 2:6 tells us that Jesus “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited.” It’s erroneous for us to think that Jesus, fully God and fully human, was omniscient about what would happen. Omniscience is not a human attribute. Only God is omniscient. Jesus did not exploit his God-ness. If he had, he would not have been fully human. To be human is to be limited in every way, including knowledge. We see Jesus’ laying down of his equality with God in his beautiful prayer of surrender in Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”

b. Jesus emptied himself

What did it mean for Jesus to empty himself? The Greek word translated “emptied” is keno, which also means “to pour out.” New Testament scholar Gerald Hawthorne says that “contrary to what one might expect, the true nature of God is not to grasp or get or selfishly to hold on to things for personal advantage, but to give them up for the enrichment of all. This is demonstrated by Christ … who poured out his fullness to enrich others.” Isn’t that beautiful?

In view of where and when the initial recipients of this letter lived, early church writers like the Apostle Paul carefully crafted language so it could be widely understood. There were many well-known metamorphic Greco-Roman myths in which gods transformed themselves, in order to conceal their identities. Paul describes Jesus in this kind of metamorphic language – Jesus effected his own transformation by laying down his equality with God and by emptying himself. Just last week, Paul went out of town to try and sort out some affairs concerning extended family members. Almost all personal items had been heartlessly discarded. My heart broke as I scanned the scenes he sent me of what is best described as ransacked remains. Gazing at one photo, I suddenly spotted, among the scattered shambles, a beloved piece of artwork that my Mom had bought a couple of years before she passed. I had not seen it for over 35 years: an Aboriginal bark painting of three butterflies. The Lord encouraged my soul because butterflies are symbols of transformation and harbingers of hope and life. Jesus is the hope of the world and the source and sustainer of all life!

Jesus poured out his fullness to enrich all others – this is what love looks like! Instead of being motivated by self-love or empty conceit, Jesus demonstrated authentic love by emptying himself! Jesus’ whole life was characterized by self-surrender, self-renunciation, and self-sacrifice. The Christ-hymn phrase, “emptied himself,” is a poetic way of saying that Jesus poured out himself: Jesus put himself totally at the disposal of people; Jesus became poor that he might make many rich; Jesus set aside his rights and did not insist on his own way.

c. Jesus humbled himself

Jesus had everything, but he was willing to give it all up, for the sake of humanity. Jesus did not try to grasp even his deity. He was obedient to empty himself and to step aside from his pre-existence, to lower himself, to become a human being, something that he had not been before. He came as one of us, not at the top of human society, but as the lowest of the low. He is the one who can identify with everyone, because as verse 7 says, he came as a slave. This echoes Jesus’s own words from Matthew 20:26-28 (also found in Mark 10) – “whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

There’s an interesting detail in John’s gospel narrative about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. John 13:1 tells us that “before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father.” We are not told that Jesus knew prior to that day that his hour had come. Even as he faced that realization that night, Jesus did not know the future because he had not yet been glorified. Jesus emptied himself, humbled himself, and gave himself over to death on the cross, without any promise of reward.

The late Emory University Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Fred Craddock, points out that the grave of Christ was a cave, not a tunnel! Jesus did not pass through the grave as a means to get something out of it. Jesus willingly laid down his life for the whole world. Jesus did not avoid the incarnation, even though he knew it meant setting aside the advantages of his being God. Jesus freely emptied himself and took on human flesh, going from the highest glory to the extreme abasement of slavery, by obeying God to the point of the most shameful kind of death, in self-giving love, expecting nothing in return. This is Jesus’ radical and ultimate “yes” to both God and people.

d. Jesus became obedient to the point of death

In fulfillment of prophecies in the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah 52-53, Jesus even “poured out himself to death.” Jesus gave up all of his rights, even his own right to live. By his death, he renounced his life for the benefit of others. More than that, Jesus gave himself over to death on the cross. Crucifixion was an unusually cruel and humiliating means of capital punishment. For the Romans, it was usually reserved for slaves, assassins, robbers, and rebels. For the Jews, crucifixion was the worst possible kind of death, as Deuteronomy 21:23 tells us – “anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” Crucifixion was reserved for someone who was guilty of such an atrocious breach of God’s covenant that they needed to be removed from the face of the earth so they wouldn’t defile the land, their inheritance from God! Jesus’ obedience to God was so absolute that he did not withdraw it, even when he was faced with the worst possible kind of death. Jesus chose obedience to God over clinging to his right to live. Even as he had trusted God with his life, Jesus trusted God with his death. In Jesus’ transformation, we clearly see both Jesus’ utter humility and his radical obedience.

Philippians 2:6-8 provide us with the heart and center of salvation: Jesus Christ emptied himself, humbled himself, obeyed the Father’s will, and, in the defining event of his life, gave himself over to death on the cross.

e. God has exalted Jesus as Lord of all

The first word of the next verse, verse 9, is the Greek word, dio, is strategically positioned right in the middle of this Christ hymn. Paul uses this logical connector to introduce an explanation as to the necessity of these attitudes and actions: therefore, for this reason, because of this. Paul wants us to know that because Jesus lived and suffered in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love, God has exalted Jesus to the highest place. God transformed Jesus by giving him the name that is above every name. Paul uses the lingo of his day, “in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” to proclaim that all of creation will ultimately worship Jesus! God has exalted Jesus as Lord of all! Soon, in the fullness of time, Jesus’ metamorphosis will be complete! And all – all persons, all beings, all principalities, all powers – will join together in worshiping Jesus in adoration and awe. Ephesians 1:8-10 tells us, “With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Paul carefully applies to Jesus the term “Lord” because it defines the relationship between Jesus and his followers more than any other title. Paul is making the point that this Jesus who was completely obedient must now be completely obeyed! That phrase, “Jesus Christ is Lord” was actually the first confession of the early church. Paul’s use of the phrase “every tongue” shows us that this confession is not only for the church. One day, all peoples and all rational beings who are capable – in all of creation – will acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

The whole point of the mission and message of Jesus, of his life, death, and resurrection – is the coming together of heaven and earth. 1 Corinthians 15:28 lays out God’s ultimate desire, the complete and utter restoration and transformation of all – “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.” We don’t know how or when God will renew and restore all of creation. We do know that God will do it! Dutch theologian Herman Ridderbos says that “the whole exaltation of Christ in the present and in the future is directed toward this, that God shall be all in all.” Jesus Christ, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, alone has the right to reign over all.

It’s easy enough to state that Jesus is fully God and fully human. However, we are kidding ourselves if we think that we completely comprehend this magnificent and marvelous mystery! Even though Luke 2:52 tells us that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor,” we cannot possibly understand how the one who was God could also be a full and genuine human with all the potential for physical, mental, social, and spiritual growth. But here in Philippians, Paul describes this paradox. Paul simply affirms it without attempting to explain it: Jesus is God, Jesus is human, Jesus lived and suffered in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love. God has exalted Jesus as Lord of all. Let all join together to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever! That ’s the first of the two reasons why Paul included this Christ hymn.

2. God’s love compels us to live and suffer in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love

The second reason why Paul includes the Christ hymn in his epistle of suffering matched by joy is to remind us that because we are united in faith with Christ, God’s love compels us to live and suffer in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love. The shape of our lives together as brothers and sisters in Christ is defined by the heart and center of salvation: Jesus gave himself over to death on the cross. This is the defining event for all followers of Christ and, in fact, the defining event of all human history! This Christ hymn defines both lordship and discipleship. Yes, Jesus is triumphant and victorious. But it’s not over yet – we cannot rest in that victory and abandon the path of obedience, service, and love. As both followers of Christ and partners in Christ, we will one day also be raised with Christ in the resurrection. Meanwhile, Jesus’ example is to guide us in how we live and suffer, in every part of our lives, our relationships, our thinking, our talking, our attitudes, our actions.

In Luke 14:26-27, Jesus uses the rhetorical device of hyperbole to call us to radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate … even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Carrying the cross and following Jesus has nothing to do with being passive victims of circumstances upon whom destruction, ruin, disadvantage, or deprivation has been inflicted. We are active, free agents who willing give up everything for the sake of Christ. Throughout the letter to the Philippians, Paul encourages us to follow Jesus with perseverance, gratitude, selflessness, and humility.

I want to mention here that following Jesus is not exactly the same as imitating Jesus. The path of Christian discipleship is not about a simplistic reduction of outward actions done in a vastly different time and place. It is about surrendering our whole selves to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe life and power and creativity and ingenuity into our bodies and souls, as we, together in Christ, experience and embody the good news in this time and place, right here, right now.

Ultimate justice belongs to God, so we can trust that God will set everything right in the end. Meanwhile, we are to live and suffer as Jesus did, in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love. We do this as we think among ourselves, being united in Christ. As 2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us, “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” We don’t have to figure this stuff out in isolation or separateness! We get to work these things out together. Isn’t it both sobering and mind-blowing that God has entrusted this message of reconciliation to us, the body of Christ?

How do we, in practice, pass on God’s love? Back in my teen years, I might have thought the best way was to hand out tracts. That is no longer my understanding. Hopefully, as we seek God wholeheartedly together, we learn and grow as we go along.

We are on a dynamic journey in Christ Jesus, together. One of the most helpful life experiences that has seared this journey together metaphor into me, body and soul, was walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain with Cascade in 2016. It was a transformative experience that pushed both of us to the limit physically, mentally, and emotionally. At the end of our Camino journey, I better understood that we are invited to journey together with God and with one another in the world, not as tourists, but as pilgrims, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In following Christ, we move toward the goal as “progressing pilgrims” through the journey started by the grace of God, moving dynamically to faith, Spirit and baptism, freedom, gratitude to God and love for others, suffering and joy, hope, and finally standing at the Last Day. The hopes, dreams, expectations, desires, and plans I cherished as a young Christ-follower bear little resemblance to how my life has turned out. I could not have guessed the twists, turns, detours, delays, bewilderments, or backtracks that lay ahead. I could not have predicted either the heights of happiness or the depths of despair to come. I could not have imagined how God would match my suffering with joy by meeting me in my highest highs and in my lowest lows. I have learned enough by now to know that I know virtually nothing about what lies ahead! It is enough to know that God is with us and to trust God with our futures.

There’s a chorus we used to sing in the 70s that expresses quite beautifully how God’s love compels us – “Pass It On”:

It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love! Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to ev’ryone. You want to pass it on!

What a wondrous time is spring when all the trees are budding. The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming. That’s how it is with God’s love! Once you’ve experienced it, you want to sing! It’s fresh like spring! You want to pass it on!

I wish for you, my friend, this happiness that I’ve found. You can depend on him. It matters not where you’re bound. I’ll shout it from the mountain top! I want my world to know: the Lord of love has come to me! I want to pass it on!

You and I are not solo pilgrims on the way of love. We are partners together with God and one another on this journey together, here and now, as we look at Jesus and keep the life of Christ going. May we live and suffer as Jesus did, in radical obedience, humble service, and self-giving love.

We’re going to close our time together today with some pondering and some prayer. I’m going to ask you to ponder three reflection questions. And then we’re going to gather together in small groups of 4 or 5, to share authentically with one other and to pray for each other. You may have other specific prayer requests – today we are crying out to God on each other’s behalf. We need God and we need one another. Come, Holy Spirit!

Reflection questions:

• Radical obedience
  • In which area of my life am I most tempted to withhold obedience to God?
• Humble service
  • To what act of service is God calling me, without any promise of reward?
• Self-giving love
  • In what specific way can I pour out my fullness to enrich others?