Title: PROBING THE MIND OF CHRIST
Focus: Observe Jesus’ behavior and model after him.
Function: To move the people to deepen their wonder and love for Christ with a desire to be like Christ in our actions and behavior.
Text: Philippians 2:5-11
Today the church observes Palm/Passion Sunday. We embrace the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, cheered on by a fickle crowd—a crowd that yells today: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” A crowd that will yell a few days later: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” But why would we want to observe this strange and, in some way, pathetic or sad scene today? What on earth does Palm/Passion Sunday have anything to do with us today?
I’m glad you ask. Anyone who claims the name “Christian” is called to be a follower of Jesus Christ. And followers of Christ must follow their Lord in his footsteps. We must model our lives after Jesus’ actions or behavior, so that people around us recognize us truly as followers of Jesus.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” And when Paul speaks of “attitude” he is speaking of imitation; our actions, our mindset and heart attitudes must conform to Jesus’ attitude. That’s why we do well to probe the mind of Christ and observe Jesus’ behavior, so that we may model after him.
Palm/Passion Sunday presents us with a picture of humility. That’s where we must begin. So let me set the stage for Jesus’ humility. We must go back centuries ago, to the days of King David. David is a type of Christ. “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” so goes the saying. Well, think of Christ as the apple, and think of David as the appletree. Or think of David as the shadow, and Christ the reality.
Here is the shadow: at one time during his reign, King David faced opposition from his son Absalom. And David had to flee for his life, because Absalom had revolted and was after the throne of Israel. Instead of fighting, King David fled in deep humility. One commentator observes that “crossing the Kidron Valley eastwards and ascending the Mount of Olives, David is the king rejected by his people, while a usurper is in full revolt. The king leaves in disgrace, riding on a donkey, the poor animal of the humble peasant. David is the very image of meekness in the face of defeat. He bears all with patience and plans no revenge.”
David suffers humiliation and deception from those who take advantage of his plight. One of his most trusted advisors, Ahithophel, betrays him to his enemies; another citizen curses and scorns him in his flight. Absalom is in the company of “chariots and horses” and fifty strong men, at least. His father David rides a donkey surrounded by a few men. Absalom represents worldly power; David portrays humility and meekness.
Now this story is a shadow of someone to come. The prophet Zechariah speaks of that someone when he says: (Zech. 9:9) “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah is pointing forward to the coming of a Messiah—a Savior King. He prophesied the messianic entry of Jesus into Zion. And Jesus arrives by the very path that David used to flee from the Holy City. Riding the donkey, Jesus comes down westward from the Mount of Olives, crosses the Kidron Valley, and finally enters Jerusalem. He thus begins the week of his meekly borne sufferings, including betrayal by a friend and rejection by his people. Christ used King David’s pattern of meekness as a model. (Insights taken from Patrick Henry Reardon, Touchstone, Daily Reflections)
Today, we must copy Jesus’ pattern of humility and reflect that pattern in our daily living. Observe the mind of Christ, then, and model after him.
THE PASSAGE: PHIL. 25-11
The early Christian church, it appears, wrote and sang a hymn about Christ’s attitude. Many commentators think that the apostle Paul echoed that hymn in his letter to the Philippian church. Philippians 2:5-11 has poetic features and it verbalizes in poetic rhythm the mind or attitude of Christ. If you think of the Apostles’ Creed as a poetic summary of the Christian faith, then think of this hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 as a summary of Christ’s actions or behavior which make up his work in heaven and on earth.
The passage or hymn has two movements: a downward movement and an upward movement. A movement of descent or humiliation, and a movement of ascent or exaltation. The entire passage shows us a picture of Christ’s actions, done by him, and done to him.
The downward movement can be marked with such signposts as Christmas and Lent (which point to Christ’s humiliation); the upward movement can be marked with such signposts as Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Jesus’ glorious final coming (which all point to Christ’s exaltation). So then, observe the mind of Christ and model after him!
Today I wish to stress the humility of Christ. Thus I will focus on verses 5-8. I wish to observe three things:
(1) Jesus is from all eternity God: When Jesus acted in humility, he did so as the eternal Son or Word of God. Listen: “…being in very nature God, (Jesus) did not consider equality with God something to be grasped….”
Jesus was there before time began and before the creation of the universe. Jesus, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit was there. In essence Jesus is one with the Father and one with the Spirit. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God,” so John tries to express this wondrous relationship and dynamic unity within the triune God. The writer of Hebrews tries to do the same thing when he says: “…in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Now here is the point: We must never forget who Jesus is. Jesus never gave up or lost his dignity or glory when he did that astonishing thing that Paul refers to as: “…did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing….” That leads me to my second observation:
(2) Jesus assumed our flesh, our human nature: The eternal Son of God—fully divine in nature—took on our human nature. That’s the glory of Jesus’ humility—that he was willing to assume our flesh; that he was willing to take on physical, material form, that he was willing to take our place and die so that we may live. Why did Jesus bridge this great distance between heaven and earth, between us, finite creatures and God, the infinite Creator?
It is because God so loved the world—so loved his creation, so strongly desired to reconcile his fallen world and fallen people to himself—that he became one with us. The eternal Son of God embraced us and all of creation; he assumed our flesh, he emptied himself.
That’s another way of saying that Jesus, in his humanity, veiled his divinity or divine glory. The radiance and brilliance of the sun always remains. Clouds may obscure that brilliance. But the sun keeps on shining behind the clouds. So it is with the eternal Son of God. When he emptied himself by taking on our human nature or flesh, Jesus obscured or veiled his divinity. That’s the essence of his humility.
For example, when Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, saying “If you are the Son of God, then do this, do that…,” Jesus emptied himself, humbled himself and did not reveal his dazzling divinity and glory. When Jesus stood before Pilate and Herod, he did not call upon legions of angels to slay the Romans. When Jesus was nailed to that cross, he did not call for divine deliverance. He humbled himself; he veiled his glory when he assumed our flesh.
There were glory moments, however. Think of his transfiguration; and later on, think of his resurrection from the dead. The point is this: Jesus’ humility involved the covering of his glory. His mind or attitude of humility displays a willingness to assume a posture of inferiority or meekness. Christ’s humility centers on identifying completely with a fallen world and a sinful humanity.
That leads me to my third observation:
(3) Jesus took our place:
Listen to the text: “…but (Christ Jesus) made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a slave (servant), being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.”
By virtue of our sinful human nature, we are slaves to the power of sin and death; apart from such a strongman as Jesus, we remain enslaved. Jesus took on the very nature of a slave (that is, he took on our human nature) but he himself remained free from bondage to sin, because he was without sin). And since the wages of sin is death, and since we can’t pay that kind of prize for our sins, Jesus took our place; he humbled himself and became obedient to death.
Jesus was willing to die in our place. Palm/Passion Sunday shows us a humble Jesus, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem, to be humiliated even unto death on a cross. Betrayal, mockery, abandonment, and sufferings are just around the corner. But Jesus humbled himself even unto death.
Such is the mind of Christ. And here is the “killer.” Says Paul: “Your attitude should be the same that of Christ Jesus.” I say “killer,” because this is impossible to do—that is, in my own strength.
You and I cannot demonstrate on our own the humility that Christ displayed on that donkey, and on the cross and in that tomb. Yet, I say to us: Observe the mind of Christ and model after him.
How? I cannot live the mind of Christ in my own strength, but in the power of Christ’s Spirit, I can adopt his actions, behavior, attitude or mind.
Remember, as a follower of Jesus we are called everyday to die to sin and self and the world. We are called to conform to the image of Christ. That’s why we probe the mind of Jesus and embrace his stories and all his works.
Also, remember, living a life of humility that is Christ-like is doable, not only because we have received Christ’s Spirit, but also because Christians are in community. Listen to Paul (vs. 2-4) “…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
We have each other; we are accountable to each other; we are to encourage each other; and we are to model to each other the life, the spirit, the mind of Christ, in all our actions.
How shall we go about that? Probe the mind of Christ; observe all his actions; then imitate him.
May God give us strength and a willing spirit to do so.
Amen.