Tag: Christ

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Philippians 2:8c – Life and Death

Jesus and the cross (Grok)

… even death on a cross!

Summary: The challenge of understanding who Jesus is continues to haunt us as we read more of Paul’s words. It is one thing to jump on a grenade to save your friends; it is entirely something else to allow yourself to be flayed alive and hung on a wooden cross until dead.   

In our last meditation, “Our Selfless God,” we stumbled across what the Bible calls the “stumbling stone.”* In our version of the “stumbling stone,” we realized: 

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Philippians 2:8a – Two Things

A picture of a leaf with two drops of water on it (Pixabay)

And being found in appearance as a man…

Summary: Paul is walking us through what it means to think like Jesus. His understanding of the Lord is reflected in the clarity of his description of what sets Jesus apart.  

Paul is in the middle of describing the mindset of Jesus Christ. 

Whatever you might think of Jesus, it seems obvious he was in a pickle. Here he was, the one through whom all things were made (John 1:3), reduced to being a social outcast in his own creation. (His disciple, Nathanael, when he found out Jesus was from Nazareth, said: “Can anything good come from there?” — John 1:46). 

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Philippians 2:5 – A Portrait of Jesus

Large portrait of Jesus hanging on a wall (Grok)

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Summary: Paul is preparing us to see something very special. He wants our hearts and minds to be open to what he is about to show us. 

Paul is about to show us a portrait of Jesus. As he takes us down the hall to the gallery where the portrait waits, he reaches out his hands to us and gently speaks these words: 

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Philippians 2:2c – Two Kinds of Love

[Therefore, if you ….make my joy complete by being like-minded]… having the same love…

Summary: Having the “same love” as Christ is a challenge. Understanding why helps us to focus our efforts on serving God’s will.   

Paul’s sentences are famously long and convoluted. In this passage, he begins with a series of “if’s,” and then, when he reaches his “then,” he asks his readers to “make my joy complete by being like-minded.” 

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Philippians 2:1-2 – Paul’s Request

A graphic representation of a building (sky scraper) made from words. (Grok)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Summary: Paul’s thoughts are sometimes complex. In this meditation, we take a 30,000-foot view of Paul’s thoughts in his passage in hopes of seeing the “bigger picture.”  

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you are probably shocked to see a meditation that is based on two entire verses at once. Never fear! We will, no doubt, dissect this in future meditations. However, given the complexity of Paul’s thought here, I thought it best to begin with an overview. 

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