Palm Sunday: Epistle, Philippians 2:5-11                                

Philippians 2:5-11 

This is holy ground indeed. To tread through Philippians is to read a letter of joy. It carries the rejoicing of the apostle’s heart for this young Christian congregation. It’s a letter written with virtually no glaring corrections. And tucked within it is a pristine statement of the actual mindset of the Savior as he takes on human flesh for us, lives lowly and holy for us, and frees us in His very exaltation.

The passage before us is taken by many to be one of the early hymns of the Christian community and the display is squarely on Jesus our Lord. Jesus our Lord, that is, who laid aside His glory to be one of us for all of us. Read carefully the statements Paul makes. He never says Jesus ceased being a member of the Godhead. But he does help us walk through the work of Christ from His place of “being born in the likeness of men.” This is Christ in His blazing humility, startling service, and resulting glorification. And all in the service first of His Father. And ours. Once again for our sakes.

Christ does live before us as an example. But only AFTER He rescues us as our Savior. The world and many in the Christian community simply get that wrong. And it spoils not only the gist of this great passage, but all of divine revelation. May we all read and ponder this passage begging the Lord for His humility. The very humility He puts on display in the words before us.