Day 261 · Year 1 · The Story of Scripture
He humbled himself
Philippians 2 is what real greatness looks like.
Today's passage
Philippians 2:5-11
5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Paul writes this hymn to a church squabbling about status. His answer is the most extraordinary 'mind' in the universe: the Son of God, who had every right to be served, took the form of a servant. Greatness in Christ's kingdom is downward. If you find yourself fighting to be seen, recognized, defended, this passage is not a rebuke; it is a release. The God who already had everything modeled the freedom of laying it down. Imitating him is not loss; it is participation in the very life of God.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Modern · 20th c. · Germany
Bonhoeffer insisted that following Christ is costly precisely because it bends downward — and that it is in the downward step that we find Christ already there.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What does Christ refuse to grasp, and what does he choose instead, in verses 6–8?
- What does God do in response in verses 9–11?
- Where are you fighting for status that Christ would have you lay down?
A prayer to pray
Ask the Spirit to give you the mind of Christ in one specific situation — the place you are still grasping for recognition.