Philippians 2:7b – The Nature of a Servant

… by taking the very nature of a servant,

Summary: This passage provides a critical description of Jesus’ character. Understanding Jesus requires that we try to understand what it means to have the “nature of a servant.”   

To avoid using his “equality with God” as an advantage, Jesus did things that run counter to our natural instincts for self-preservation. One of those things was “taking the very nature of a servant.” 

Paul is describing the characteristics of Jesus using examples well known in his day. In our day, examples of a servant’s nature are not as common as they were in Paul’s day. 

So what is the “very nature of a servant?” 

In Paul’s day, technology was limited to what you could make with your hands. There were no electronics or complex machinery. Rome, where Paul likely wrote his letter, was fairly advanced for its time, but it lacked things like electricity and natural gas for heating and cooking. They did not have refrigeration or air conditioning. The Public Works Department kept up the roads, but they did not have to worry about maintaining complex pumping stations or sewage treatment plants. 

If you did not grow up in a family with property or wealth, or serve in the military, it was very likely you would have become somebody’s servant in order to survive. 

To become a servant, you could volunteer. For example, you might say, “Excuse me, Mr. or Mrs. Landowner — I am starving to death and I have no way of feeding myself. Could I be your servant in exchange for food and a place to sleep?” The other way of becoming a servant is that someone forces you to serve under the threat of death. (These people were usually called “slaves.”) 

Obviously, becoming a servant was not a power move. 

People who served in Paul’s day didn’t have the option of disobeying or mouthing off. They had to be careful and diligent. Their lives depended on how well they served. 

By taking on the nature of a servant, Jesus voluntarily chose to serve his Father. One of the characteristics of a servant, part of their “nature,” if you will, is loyalty to one master. A servant doesn’t float around from one job to another. Once they are under an obligation to serve, they are obligated to remain loyal. 

In the same way, Jesus never varies from what his Father wants him to do. He doesn’t mouth off, complain, grumble, or show discontent. He does what he is asked to do. 

Go without food for forty days (Matthew 4:1-2)?  Jesus doesn’t complain. 

Wander around dusty roads for three years? Jesus obeys. 

Allow yourself to be falsely accused, spat on, hit, tortured, and killed (John 19:1-30)? Jesus did ask if he could take a pass on this one, but in the end, he submitted to this Father’s will (Matthew 26:36-46). 

This is the nature of a servant. 

Application: Being servant-minded is part of Jesus’ mindset.  

Food for Thought: How does being a servant of God look for a modern-day Christian?