Given at St. Mark’s Church, West Frankfort, Illinois; and at St. James’ Memorial Church, Marion, Illinois
During the Jewish Seder meal that occurs during the Feast of Passover (begins on the evening of April 2nd this year), the youngest person in the household asks this question every year: “why is this night different from all other nights?”
As we approach this Holy Week, we might borrow that question and adapt it to our observance: “why is this week different from all other weeks?”
Why, indeed? Because this week is a contrast of heights and depths.
As I read and reflect on the epistle for today, St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I think the answer might be: “because this week shows the heights of God’s power and the depths of our fallenness as human beings.
So, let’s reflect on Paul’s understanding of Jesus Christ, the heights of His divinity, and the depths to which Our Lord willingly went to rescue fallen human beings, who were locked in the pit of sin…..
Philippians chapter two, verses five through 11 are some of the most well known and well loved in all the New Testament. They are so powerful that some scholars think they were originally an early Christian hymn. Whether they were or not, their vast scope and understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ captivate us, even today, 2,000 years after they were written.
So, let’s look at some aspects of this passage, briefly:
- Its overall shape is like a giant “V”: Paul begins with an affirmation of Jesus Christ’s divinity: “who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited”. But immediately, Paul recounts Our Lord’s descent: “but (He) emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.” But Paul does not stop there. He goes on to describe a further descent, to the shameful death on a cross: “He humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” From there, the lowest point a person in this life can reach - a shameful death by crucifixion, Jesus Christ begins His ascent to the heights: “therefore God also highly exalted Him, 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, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- This week is different because of Jesus Christ’s identity: If the man hanging on a cross on Golgotha 2,000 years ago was merely the Jewish man “Jeshua” (or Jesus, as we know His name), then the story of this week would be a footnote of history only. After all, crucifixion of conquered peoples (like the Jewish people were back then) was a form of “state – sponsored terrorism”. Crosses probably dotted the countryside, most likely near major road intersections where many people would pass by. And there was probably no shortage of victims to fill those crosses: remember that Jesus was crucified between two thieves, not murders. It probably didn’t take much to gain a place on a cross.
But if the victim is not only “Jeshua”, a Jewish man, but the Christ, God’s only Son, then the story takes on a different meaning and importance entirely….If the victim is both human and divine, then there’s a cosmic battle between good and evil going on. The forces of evil will try, this week, to separate the human Jesus from the divine Christ, forever blocking our salvation in the process. - Jesus Christ’s self-emptying reverses the “power grab” that Adam and Eve perpetrated on humankind: Notice that Christ Jesus empties himself: Paul’s words are: “but (He) emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave.” If Adam and Eve wanted to eat from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden in order to “become like God, knowing good and evil”,[1] they were essentially exalting themselves in order to take God’s prerogatives and power for themselves. Christ Jesus’ self-emptying reverses Adam and Eve’s “power grab”.
What impact might this text have on our lives? Perhaps the following suggestions are places to begin contemplating the meaning for us as we move into Holy Week:
- We begin on the heights, descend to the depths, and reach the heights again, this week: The shape of the Philippians text is the shape of our Holy Week: We begin on the heights of the Palm Sunday procession into Jerusalem, remembering Jesus’ might works and miracles which demonstrate His divine power and approval. But then, we move into the depths of Tenebrae (Wednesday), Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. We reach the lowest depths with Jesus lies in death on Holy Saturday. But God exalts Jesus Christ to the heights on Easter Day.
- Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance: As the forces of evil battle for Our Lord’s soul on Good Friday, our salvation hangs in the balance…If death cannot be conquered, then there is no hope for us, for sin, which leads to death (Romans 6:23), will be the final word. Because Jesus is human, but also divine, the consequences which will be determined by the victor in this struggle affect us personally, for our own eternal destiny will be determined by the events on Calvary 2,000 years ago.
- God’s character is seen in Jesus’ self-emptying: For some reason, God chooses to be active in human affairs. For some reason, God chooses to reach out to us, even when we choose to exploit God’s goodness. For some reason, God chooses not only to reach out, but to reach down, emptying Himself of divine rights in order to enter our human situation fully. Only then may we return to the presence of God, through the merits of Jesus Christ.
May God’s Holy Spirit walk with us as we tread the heights and depths of this Holy Week.
May God’s Holy Spirit enable us to see the cosmic battle of good and evil, whose victor will determine our eternal home.
May God’s Holy Spirit enable us to set aside the “power grabs” that tempt us to try to take God’s power for our own, and may God’s Holy Spirit plant within us humility and dependence on the merits of Jesus Christ’s death alone.
May we be transformed into Christ’s humble spirit, that we may be worthy to stand in God the Father’s presence.
AMEN.
[1] Genesis 3: 5 (The entire account of the Fall is found in Genesis 3: 1 – 24.)
