Wednesday Bible commentary
Philippians 2:5-11, our appointed NT reading for Palm Sunday's "liturgy of the word", is famously known as the "Christ Hymn". Especially among Bible literalists and inerrantists, is widely taken as God's acclamation (the Bible being God's word) of Jesus as his divine Son. And by others, many or some, as proof sufficient of Paul's high christology.
My study and enjoyment of the Bible as an Episcopalian who believes himself unwilling to lift passages out of context for eisegetical prooftexting, understands the Hymn otherwise. I've taken that otherwise approach anytime we've confronted it in our adult Sunday School class.
One must look at the context of the letter. Paul is telling the Philippians that instead of thinking highly of themselves, that they are better than others, they should think of others; that they should be humble as Jesus was humble; that they should be like Jesus the "second Adam" who did not seek to be like God, in contrast to the "first Adam", the opposite of Jesus, who indeed in his disobedience sought to become God's equal. That though both Adam and Jesus were created in God's image, one was haughty, self-seeking, disobedient and disgraced; the other humble, serving others, obedient and exalted.
Because of the man that Jesus was, his exemplary humble and obedient life, God ὑπερύψωσεν promoted him to the highest rank. From my interest and reading about German military in the first half of the 20th century, it would be as if a soldier had done so superlatively well throughout his career that upon his heroic death in battle, when he died falling on a grenade and saved all his comrades, he is promoted from Feldwebel to Generalfeldmarschall and sent back as commander in chief; then raised to be in heaven with God and now waits to be sent back again, taking command of everything. It doesn't bother me if someone in class suggests that my examples are Docetic or some other heresy, because that leads us into further discussion.
For Paul the monotheistic Jew, this ὑπερύψωσεν was not from all eternity, but something Jesus earned, and we should be like him. For Paul, Jesus was in the image of God as we all are. Unlike the rest of us Adams, he was humble and obedient beyond measure, and unlike the rest of us Adams, he wasn't expelled from the Garden, but taken in and made ready to return and rule in God's place.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
RSF&PTL
T+
Top pic is us looking out at the world from our shelter in place, toward Courtney Point and beyond to The Pass.
Bottom pic, I tried unsuccessfully to get a picture of our osprey as s/he rested on our scaffolding, wings spread out to dry after diving in the Bay. Didn't work well. Maybe you can see the osprey's head sticking up