"Humility for complexity" - Philippians 2:1-15

According to Paul (Philippians 2:5), we should have the same mind as Jesus did. This means to adopt the same thought patterns, attitudes and values as Jesus. Now this doesn’t just come naturally or by accident. Paul phrases it this way (as translated in NRSV), “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”. We have to allow for this … we have to decide for this! This is helped through having a relationship with Jesus, yet we can easily get complacent and drift. We have to choose that it will be this mind of Jesus that we opt for, as against other alternatives.

What might those other alternatives be?? The unhindered flow of our own minds!?! Some other person of influence!?! A desire for power!?! Jesus himself had to resist the temptation to shift from God’s path in a similar way to how we can be tempted to shift from following Jesus. Luke relates one of these temptations in this way (4:5-8):

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him".

No, Jesus said – I have a different ministry in mind, which will truly unveil what God is really like. It will not be based on power and coercion, but rather on love and service. The church has often tried to wield [or, “exploit”, as in v.6] power, and in so doing has lost the trust of people … well of course it has! The church has often tried to hang on to power after trust has been lost, and in so doing, losing all relevance and usefulness!

Paul calls us to humility, where we step aside (or, repent) from selfish ambition and self-centredness, and genuinely care for the needs of others. Jesus is initially cast in these verses (refer v. 7) in terms of the lowest possible human status – a “slave”, and then is accepting of the sort of death a criminal or non-descript person would expect – crucifixion (“death on a cross” v.8). Then of course we read the wonderful resolution of the life and identity and status of Jesus in verse 9-11 – resurrection and exaltation. But verse 9 begins with, “therefore…”. It was the former that allowed for the latter. If we are to be respected, trusted and appreciated as Jesus-followers, then first we need to be people of love and service. It is only the humble that can be lifted up; everybody else may be heading for a fall!

We could turn this around another way, for our own encouragement. If the people of God, like us, are called to be people of love and service, then we have one who has gone before us who can fully embrace us in the difficulty and complexity we encounter in life. No one in the Bible said the Christian life would be easy – in fact quite the opposite was often said. The way of mission was always expected to be hard. The only thing close to suggesting ease, was when Jesus was allowed to take up part of our load – “Come to me … Take my yoke upon you … and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:28-9).

And this is where we find the encouragement, encapsulated in Hebrews 4:15-16 … For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In a sense, we’re not asked to go anywhere where Jesus hasn’t already been, or live in a way that Jesus has not already lived.

What does humility (in terms of v.3, and v.7) mean??? How does humility hit the road … in the way we live, and the way we look? Being open, responsive to new (even unexpected) possibilities, ready to learn, prepared to listen, teachable, welcoming, making room for others, more prone toward reconciliation and acceptance than bitterness and exclusion, generosity. We can easily see that coming into synergy or collaboration with the mind of Jesus, soon translates into the field of our activity.

In verses 12-13 we see a delicate balance … a partnership if you like. We ourselves are working out our salvation with fear and trembling – meaning: continually seeking to understand and apply what this great gift of grace means to us in everyday living (with a decent and appropriate level of seriousness). In this way we see our salvation as tangible, real, operational and effective. At the same time, God is on our side; but more than that … God is working away in us through the Holy Spirit, so that we form the will to love and serve, and then discover the way to love and serve.

Humble people don’t seek superiority, nor ‘lord it’ over others, nor continually find fault, nor label others. Humility comes from an understanding of our mutual dependence upon God for grace. And humility is formed through living in the complexity side-by-side with Jesus! Why is all this so important? We should read on another couple of verses (Phil.2:14-15) … so that we might “shine like stars” in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation”.