Philippians 2

The Explanation

Paul wrote this letter from prison. That is important to remember, because he is not writing from a comfortable chair with a cup of tea. He is chained up, and yet the whole letter is full of joy. In chapter 2 he writes to the Christians in the city of Philippi and he asks them something very concrete: stay united. Do not argue. Do not push yourself forward as if you are more important than someone else.

Then Paul writes a piece that many people think was actually an early Christian song. It is about Jesus. He says: Jesus was equal with God, but He did not hold on to that as if it were a treasure He had to keep. Instead, He made Himself nothing. He became a human being. And not just any human being, but a servant. He even obeyed all the way to death, and not an ordinary death, but the death on a cross. That was the most shameful death you could think of in those days.

But then comes the turn. Because Jesus went so low, God lifted Him up very high. God gave Him the name above every name. One day every knee will bow before Jesus and every tongue will say that He is Lord.

After this song, Paul goes back to the church. He says: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, because God is working in you. He asks them to stop complaining and arguing. And he mentions two friends: Timothy, who really cares about others, and Epaphroditus, who has been so sick that he almost died, but who is going home now.

What Does This Mean?

Paul is showing something huge here. He is saying: do you want to know how God thinks? Look at Jesus. And what does Jesus do? He goes downward. He gives up His place. He becomes small.

In the world it usually works the other way around. People want to be seen, want to be the best, want to be on top. But Jesus does the opposite, and God says: yes, that is exactly the way it should be. That way of going low, that is not weakness. It is the deepest strength there is.

Paul is saying to the Christians: if this is who your Lord is, then you cannot keep pushing each other away and quarreling. Then you become people who serve, just like Him.

The Common Thread

This chapter is really the heart of the whole letter, and maybe even one of the deepest passages in the Bible about who Jesus is. It reaches back all the way to the beginning. In the garden of Eden, humans wanted to be like God. They grabbed for something that was not theirs. Jesus does exactly the opposite. He was God, and He did not grab. He let go.

So Jesus is not just a good example. He is the One who repairs what went wrong long ago. Through His going down, all the way to the cross, He opens the way back to God. And His name being lifted high, that is the promise that in the end everything will be made right.

For You

It is not always easy to be the one who steps back. When you are playing a game and you want to win. When someone in your class always gets to choose. When your brother or sister gets attention and you do not. Everything in you wants to shout: and me?

Paul is not saying you have to become a doormat. He is saying: dare to look at someone else. Really see them. Ask yourself what they need. That is a strong thing to do, not a weak thing.

And that complaining Paul talks about, that is honestly something to think about. Complaining is easy. Almost everyone does it. But you can also try, for one whole day, not to grumble. See what happens inside you.

Talk About It

Jesus was God and yet became a servant. What do you find hardest to understand about that, or most beautiful?

Where in your own life is it difficult not to want to be first?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, You went so low for us, all the way to the cross. Thank You. Help me not always to want to be first. Teach me to see other people. And let me know, deep inside, that You are Lord. Amen.