Christ Made Himself Nothing ...

“… he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death … even death on a cross!” - Philippians 2:7-8 (NIV)

                  In a world where people are constantly striving to better themselves and climb the ladder of socially defined success, it is amazing to me that Almighty God would purposefully and deliberately make Himself NOTHING. He went so far as to make Himself the lowest human form … a servant … a person with no rights or authority. And then willingly allow Himself to be led to a criminals cross to be crucified and as a result die. It is one thing to die for a friend, but to die for a people who do not even know You is pretty amazing. It defies all logic. Yet this was God’s plan all along.

                  We call it a ‘criminals cross’ because that was the common way of putting those who broke the law of the land to death at that time. So even though Christ was not a criminal, He was treated as one in the manner by which He was killed. Eradicate the problem. That is essentially what the religious leaders of the day were doing. Everything about Jesus; His words, His actions, flew in the face of the Pharisee’s comfort zone. They had control over the religious people around them. They determined what God wanted and didn’t want. They defined His laws. They set the temple payment system for the covering of sins. When Jesus came along, just like He eventually overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple courtyard, He overturned everything the Pharisee had set in motion. Instead of rationally discussing matters of the heart with Jesus, they almost immediately plotted to get rid of Him. Christ needed to be eliminated. Unbeknownst to the religious leaders of that day, it was God’s plan for that to take place all along also. He knew their hardened hearts and that they were stubborn and stiff necked. He knew they would fall right into line with God’s plan because they believed in their hearts that they were right, even though they were not.

                  So Christ willingly became like a slave. He did what He was called by His Father to do. He was obedient to the point of death and it was all for a divine purpose … God knew the heart of man. He created him, so He knew him intimately. He knew that man, if given a choice, would choose incorrectly based on feelings and emotions, rather than on what was right vs. what was wrong. This sentiment is still prevalent today. No boundaries create a chaotic existence.

                  A blood sacrifice was necessary to atone or pay for sin. It was the payment system that God put in place to satisfy or forgive our disobedience. It behooves us to dig into God’s word for ourselves to see what is truly required of us as followers of Christ rather than constantly be spoon fed. Christ died for you. Get to know Him intimately and you might be surprised what is really required of you as His followers and what is not. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller - BOLM