Phili 2:8-9 | KingComments | STEP | . You see the mind of the Lord Jesus in these verses and it deserves your full attention. We must take up this mind and make it our own. Then we will be able to do what is said in the previous verses. And then we can solve all our conflicts and continue to live in unity. The mind of the Lord is expressed in His humiliation. Every detail of His way down was a humiliation for Him. He could not have started higher and could not end deeper. Every step of His humiliation, He did entirely voluntarily. But He didn’t do every step downward to show how very much He humbled Himself. What He did was constantly present in His life on the earth. In this you see the meaning of the word emptied, or ‘made Himself of no reputation’. He emptied Himself of all that He possessed as God. He used none of it for His own interests. When He came on earth there was nothing of His Divine glory to be seen ( ). His heart was filled with the wonderful mind described here. His whole existence on earth was filled with this reality. Every word and action came out of it. Sometimes it is possible to see such attitude in a believer. But to what extent are we filled with it? The description begins with the fact that He was “in the form of God”. This makes it clear that He was truly God. He also remained God when He became Man; for God cannot cease to be God. Nevertheless, God has the right and the possibility to reveal Himself in a way that is appropriate for the circumstances. His humiliation is proof that He is God, because only God has the sovereign right to conceal His absolute Divinity in this way. He did that and it was the result of His love. He remained in the form of God even when He was on earth. He did not relinquish His Divinity, but all His rights and privileges, which He could have claimed while on earth. Where He shows His Divine power, that never happens for Himself, but always for others, and never independent of God. Because He was God, it meant no robbery to Him to consider being equal with God. He did not lay claim to what not belonged to Himself. The Lord Jesus was God and He was God the eternal Son. He had pre-existence with the Father before the world was ( ). He was with the Father before the world was. He did not consider what He was from eternity as robbery in terms of profit. Long ago the serpent lured Adam to be equal with God. Adam was not and therefore he attempted to rob what he had not. The last Adam, the Lord Jesus, was God. He did not consider it robbery, but He emptied Himself. The Greek word for robbery means not only something that can be stolen, but it also means something that is precious which one does not easily give up. That precious thing, His Deity, He gave up outwardly, for He wanted to be born in “the likeness of man”. . He had to partake of His own creation and minister as a Bond-servant in His own creation. Can one imagine a greater contrast? He was the Ruler but He became the Bond-servant. He, Who gave orders, received them now Himself. Is it not one of the biggest problems for you and me to give up our rights and serve another? The Lord Jesus did that. He effaced Himself fully. He is our example and we can learn it only from Him. It is also important to see how His being a Bond-servant is intertwined fully with His being a Man. He could have first come on earth as human being and then later He could have decided to be a bond-servant. But He did not do that. Exactly as He was and is in the form of God, indicating His essential and veritable Deity, He took upon Himself the form of a bondservant. He did not wear the clothing of a Bond-servant and played the role of a bond-servant. He did not pretend Himself to be a bond-servant. No. He was essentially and truly a Bond-servant, both inwardly and outwardly. The essence of His nature was obedience, the very character that makes a bond-servant. It goes even further: He always remains a Bond-servant ( ), just as this perfect Person always will remain Man. He did not take up the form of God because He was God; but He took the form of a bondservant because that is what He became . The mind of serving and being a Bond-servant is beautifully portrayed in the foot-washing in John 13 ( ; cf. ). Once again: He is our Example. Just as He came to us as a Bond-servant in the servant’s clothing we also should act toward one another in readiness to serve one another in humility ( ). We do not quickly wear the clothing of a servant. It does not suit us. We do not feel comfortable in it. Or do we? . The emphasis here is on the Lord Jesus as Man. He was found in appearance as a man. That He was outwardly “found in appearance as a man”, does not refer primarily to what other people found in Him, but what God found in Him. God saw in the Lord Jesus a Man as He wished to see him. He was full of joy about all that was visible in Him from the outside – every action, every word, and His whole behavior. Therefore He gave His testimony from heaven: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” ( ). He was the Man Who answered in everything to what God had purposed with man. He was truly Man and not God in a human shell. He not only looked like a man, but He was fully in the likeness of him ( ) yet without sin ( ). People could see and hear Him, and they could understand what He said and did. He was (and still is) truly Man with a human spirit, a human soul, and a human body. When He was on earth, He was not conspicuous among men. He did not run around with a halo so that everyone could see Him as Someone special. When He was taken into custody, Judas had to show the enemies in a particular way Whom to capture ( ). People around Him saw that He was tired, hungry and thirsty. He knew all human weaknesses. As a Man He was indeed born in a quite unique way – He was truly Man by His birth from Mary – but He was not begotten by a sinful father; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit ( ; ). That did not change His complete and voluntary humiliation, a humiliation that had not yet reached its end. Is it not difficult for us to go our way unobtrusively? He could have surrounded Himself with honor when He entered His creation. He could have surrounded Himself during His life time on earth with all what impressed people around him. Yet He decided to begin His life on earth in a despised and secluded spot, Nazareth, in an insignificant family. To become Man was one step of humiliation for Him and to become Bond-servant is another step of humiliation. But His humiliation as Man and Bond-servant was not enough. He could stoop even lower. So He went deeper. He could have returned to His Father after a finished service. He did not need to die. But He became obedient to the point of death, yes, even death on a cross. He made Himself completely nothing. He thought only of others. He, Who did not know obedience, was obedient unto death. The Lord Jesus did not know obedience. In heaven He was not familiar with it. There He gave commands to angels and they obeyed Him ( ). For the Lord Jesus learning obedience was something different from how we learn it. By nature we are disobedient, we were “sons of disobedience” ( ). We learn obedience by correction. It was not so with Him. With Him, nothing ever needed to be corrected. With Him there was no insubordination; there was nothing that was not subordinate. For Him to learn to be obedient meant to take up a position in which He had to obey. He never was in a position that demanded obedience. He learned that when He came to the earth ( ). His obedience culminated in His death. His death was the ultimate obedience, the end point. Nothing more could come thereafter. But His humiliation could go still further and show how His obedience ended up unprecedented. It is by death on a cross, the most horrible and the most despicable way a man could die. Only a disobedient slave was sentenced to such a death. You cannot imagine a death that is more humiliating than this. The perfect Bond-servant died this death. Voluntarily and with no other desire than to be perfectly obedient He ended His path this way on earth. He always took the lowest place: with His birth in Bethlehem, with His dealings with people during His life time and finally even in His death. He allowed that those, whom He exclusively wanted to serve, brought Him to death by the most dishonorable way. He, Who was exalted so high, went through the way to the deepest humiliation. He relinquished all rights that were His own, in heaven as well as on the earth, to serve His enemies. He came down from great heights, voluntarily, driven by the love for His God and Father. Should not this great humility make you and me ready to make a relatively small step down to serve others? This is the mind which is proper for us. Now read Philippians 2:6-8 again. Reflection: Consider again the steps of humiliation, by which the Lord Jesus went down. Praise Him for that and ask Him to help you to follow His example in His mind.

‏ Philippians 2:8-9

The Mind of the Lord Jesus

Phil 2:6. You see the mind of the Lord Jesus in these verses and it deserves your full attention. We must take up this mind and make it our own. Then we will be able to do what is said in the previous verses. And then we can solve all our conflicts and continue to live in unity.

The mind of the Lord is expressed in His humiliation. Every detail of His way down was a humiliation for Him. He could not have started higher and could not end deeper. Every step of His humiliation, He did entirely voluntarily. But He didn’t do every step downward to show how very much He humbled Himself. What He did was constantly present in His life on the earth. In this you see the meaning of the word emptied, or ‘made Himself of no reputation’. He emptied Himself of all that He possessed as God. He used none of it for His own interests.

When He came on earth there was nothing of His Divine glory to be seen (Isa 53:3). His heart was filled with the wonderful mind described here. His whole existence on earth was filled with this reality. Every word and action came out of it. Sometimes it is possible to see such attitude in a believer. But to what extent are we filled with it?

The description begins with the fact that He was “in the form of God”. This makes it clear that He was truly God. He also remained God when He became Man; for God cannot cease to be God. Nevertheless, God has the right and the possibility to reveal Himself in a way that is appropriate for the circumstances. His humiliation is proof that He is God, because only God has the sovereign right to conceal His absolute Divinity in this way. He did that and it was the result of His love. He remained in the form of God even when He was on earth. He did not relinquish His Divinity, but all His rights and privileges, which He could have claimed while on earth. Where He shows His Divine power, that never happens for Himself, but always for others, and never independent of God.

Because He was God, it meant no robbery to Him to consider being equal with God. He did not lay claim to what not belonged to Himself. The Lord Jesus was God and He was God the eternal Son. He had pre-existence with the Father before the world was (Jn 1:1 ; Jn 17:5). He was with the Father before the world was. He did not consider what He was from eternity as robbery in terms of profit.

Long ago the serpent lured Adam to be equal with God. Adam was not and therefore he attempted to rob what he had not. The last Adam, the Lord Jesus, was God. He did not consider it robbery, but He emptied Himself. The Greek word for robbery means not only something that can be stolen, but it also means something that is precious which one does not easily give up. That precious thing, His Deity, He gave up outwardly, for He wanted to be born in “the likeness of man”.

Phil 2:7. He had to partake of His own creation and minister as a Bond-servant in His own creation. Can one imagine a greater contrast? He was the Ruler but He became the Bond-servant. He, Who gave orders, received them now Himself. Is it not one of the biggest problems for you and me to give up our rights and serve another? The Lord Jesus did that. He effaced Himself fully. He is our example and we can learn it only from Him.

It is also important to see how His being a Bond-servant is intertwined fully with His being a Man. He could have first come on earth as human being and then later He could have decided to be a bond-servant. But He did not do that. Exactly as He was and is in the form of God, indicating His essential and veritable Deity, He took upon Himself the form of a bondservant. He did not wear the clothing of a Bond-servant and played the role of a bond-servant. He did not pretend Himself to be a bond-servant. No. He was essentially and truly a Bond-servant, both inwardly and outwardly. The essence of His nature was obedience, the very character that makes a bond-servant.

It goes even further: He always remains a Bond-servant (Lk 12:37), just as this perfect Person always will remain Man. He did not take up the form of God because He was God; but He took the form of a bondservant because that is what He became. The mind of serving and being a Bond-servant is beautifully portrayed in the foot-washing in John 13 (Jn 13:1-11; cf. Lk 22:27). Once again: He is our Example. Just as He came to us as a Bond-servant in the servant’s clothing we also should act toward one another in readiness to serve one another in humility (1Pet 5:5). We do not quickly wear the clothing of a servant. It does not suit us. We do not feel comfortable in it. Or do we?

Phil 2:8. The emphasis here is on the Lord Jesus as Man. He was found in appearance as a man. That He was outwardly “found in appearance as a man”, does not refer primarily to what other people found in Him, but what God found in Him. God saw in the Lord Jesus a Man as He wished to see him. He was full of joy about all that was visible in Him from the outside – every action, every word, and His whole behavior. Therefore He gave His testimony from heaven: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Mt 3:17).

He was the Man Who answered in everything to what God had purposed with man. He was truly Man and not God in a human shell. He not only looked like a man, but He was fully in the likeness of him (Rom 8:3) yet without sin (Heb 4:15). People could see and hear Him, and they could understand what He said and did. He was (and still is) truly Man with a human spirit, a human soul, and a human body.

When He was on earth, He was not conspicuous among men. He did not run around with a halo so that everyone could see Him as Someone special. When He was taken into custody, Judas had to show the enemies in a particular way Whom to capture (Mt 26:48). People around Him saw that He was tired, hungry and thirsty. He knew all human weaknesses.

As a Man He was indeed born in a quite unique way – He was truly Man by His birth from Mary – but He was not begotten by a sinful father; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20; Lk 1:35). That did not change His complete and voluntary humiliation, a humiliation that had not yet reached its end. Is it not difficult for us to go our way unobtrusively? He could have surrounded Himself with honor when He entered His creation. He could have surrounded Himself during His life time on earth with all what impressed people around him. Yet He decided to begin His life on earth in a despised and secluded spot, Nazareth, in an insignificant family.

To become Man was one step of humiliation for Him and to become Bond-servant is another step of humiliation. But His humiliation as Man and Bond-servant was not enough. He could stoop even lower. So He went deeper. He could have returned to His Father after a finished service. He did not need to die. But He became obedient to the point of death, yes, even death on a cross. He made Himself completely nothing. He thought only of others.

He, Who did not know obedience, was obedient unto death. The Lord Jesus did not know obedience. In heaven He was not familiar with it. There He gave commands to angels and they obeyed Him (Heb 1:7). For the Lord Jesus learning obedience was something different from how we learn it. By nature we are disobedient, we were “sons of disobedience” (Eph 5:6). We learn obedience by correction. It was not so with Him. With Him, nothing ever needed to be corrected. With Him there was no insubordination; there was nothing that was not subordinate.

For Him to learn to be obedient meant to take up a position in which He had to obey. He never was in a position that demanded obedience. He learned that when He came to the earth (Heb 5:8).

His obedience culminated in His death. His death was the ultimate obedience, the end point. Nothing more could come thereafter. But His humiliation could go still further and show how His obedience ended up unprecedented. It is by death on a cross, the most horrible and the most despicable way a man could die. Only a disobedient slave was sentenced to such a death. You cannot imagine a death that is more humiliating than this. The perfect Bond-servant died this death. Voluntarily and with no other desire than to be perfectly obedient He ended His path this way on earth.

He always took the lowest place: with His birth in Bethlehem, with His dealings with people during His life time and finally even in His death. He allowed that those, whom He exclusively wanted to serve, brought Him to death by the most dishonorable way. He, Who was exalted so high, went through the way to the deepest humiliation. He relinquished all rights that were His own, in heaven as well as on the earth, to serve His enemies. He came down from great heights, voluntarily, driven by the love for His God and Father. Should not this great humility make you and me ready to make a relatively small step down to serve others? This is the mind which is proper for us.

Now read Philippians 2:6-8 again.

Reflection: Consider again the steps of humiliation, by which the Lord Jesus went down. Praise Him for that and ask Him to help you to follow His example in His mind.

The Exaltation of the Lord Jesus

Phil 2:9. “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11b). This is a universally applicable verse, but it is particularly applicable to the Lord Jesus. You saw in the previous passage in what an impressive way the Lord Jesus humbled Himself. Here I would like to reiterate the great contrast between Him, Who is called “the last Adam” (1Cor 15:45) and the first Adam. The first Adam wanted to exalt himself by listening to satan who tricked Eve to believe that man would become like God (Gen 3:5). The result was shame, hiding themselves from God, and to be driven out of paradise. What a humiliation! ”For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Lk 14:11a).

And then we have not yet spoken about the circumstances in which obedience was put to the test. The first Adam was in ideal circumstances where he could be obedient. He saw the goodness of God all around him. The last Adam was in the most adverse circumstances which could lead Him to disobedience. All around Him He saw sin and the consequences of sin. The contrast you discover between the first and the last Adam magnifies your admiration for the Lord Jesus.

The greatest recognition comes from God. He saw with great pleasure the way of humiliation that the Lord Jesus went through voluntarily. He understood perfectly well all the feelings of His Son as He went that way. Everything in the Son was focused on the Father. Could God have answered in a way other than exalting Him above all, after this appalling humiliation?

The Lord Jesus humiliated Himself but He did not exalt Himself. This is another aspect that again augments His glory as Man. He never sought His own glory (Jn 8:50). The Father glorified His Son (Jn 13:32). He raised Him from the dead and gave Him a place of honor at His right hand and crowned Him “because of the suffering of death … with glory and honor” (Heb 2:9).

It was impossible for God to leave Him in death. He deserved to be raised because He proved Himself perfect in everything. That is why He “was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father” (Rom 6:4). As Man the Lord Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven by the righteous act of God. When the Lord Jesus became Man and came to the earth, God came down in His love. On the other hand the exaltation is not a matter of love but of righteousness. He is righteously entitled to the highest place of honor and majesty.

In conjunction with the highest place of honor above all, God also has “given Him the name which is above every name”. With this Name God shows His personal pleasure in the Man Jesus Christ. Paul says nothing about the exact meaning of this Name. Perhaps this name is the name “which no one knows except Himself” (Rev 19:12). That might be an appropriate reward for the one who overcomes (Rev 2:17). Possibly it is the name “Lord” in Phil 2:11. It is not the name Jesus; for this name He already received at His birth (Mt 1:21). We are talking about the name which He received as the Man by exalted God.

Since no other information is given about the Name, the emphasis seems to be on the fact of naming i.e. on the meaning of the word name. In Scripture, the name expresses the inner being of a person. Well, no one knows the Son except the Father (Mt 11:27). The name says something about the person. No one but God knows the nature of His Son Who lived in perfect obedience to God on earth while being also Himself God. That secret cannot be understood by people and it will remain hidden eternally.

It could be that the Name, which was given to Him by God, connects to that because He never before was as Man in heaven. Never before was there a man in heaven who received the highest place of honor and reputation as reward. Authority is also connected with His Name. Even when the Lord Jesus speaks about being “gathered together in My Name” (Mt 18:20) no name is mentioned. This term focuses our attention on the recognition of His authority. The Name that He received from God expresses that He is the One Who is exalted above all creatures and that He has authority over them. Another aspect is that the name has to do with the fame and reputation of a person. The Bible indeed speaks about men of renown (Gen 6:4; Num 16:2).

Phil 2:10. The name of the Lord Jesus will fill all the earth during the millennium (Psa 8:1 ; 9). “At the name of Jesus” every knee bows one day. That is an added compensation that God gives to the Lord Jesus. When the name Jesus is used without the addition of, for example, Lord or Christ it is usually to recall the stay of the Lord Jesus on earth. It is the name that is reminiscent of His humiliation.

As He was on earth He was known as Jesus to His surroundings. He then was not honored. He was derided and abused, mocked and discarded, and finally murdered. But He will come back one day. Then it will not be again as a humble Man. No, then the Lord Jesus comes “from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thes 1:7-8). Then there is no more possibility to bow before Him voluntarily as it is still possible now.

In Isaiah 45 we read that every knee shall bow before God, Yahweh (Isa 45:21-23). Here we read that every knee shall bow before the Lord Jesus. This is one of the proofs that the Lord Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, is the same Yahweh Who in the Old Testament chose Israel as His people. In Isaiah 45 it refers only to every knee on the earth. Here in Philippians 2 the sphere of homage is extended to heaven, and to the area under the earth. Not a single knee can escape this homage.

“Every knee” emphasizes that it is about every individual. Each person will personally and consciously bow before Him. That means every high priest and scribe who saw in Him a rival, a threat to their own position among people. That is why they did not want Him and constantly sought after an opportunity to kill Him. Also Judas who betrayed Him will bow his knee before Him. Pilate will bow his knee before Him. He knew that the Lord Jesus was innocent and yet he handed Him over to be crucified.

Every man everywhere will bow before Him. “In heaven” every creature will do so with great assent and full of joy. For all eternity, His praise will be sung there. Also “on earth” everyone will honor Him, although in the millennium many people will do that hypocritically (Psa 18:44). In eternity, when God dwells among men, all on earth will declare the praises of the Lord Jesus. And also “under the earth” every living being will bow his knee before Him. All the unbelievers along with the devil and his henchmen and everyone present will bow before Him. They cannot do anything else but bow down, even if grudgingly, before the One Who had against Him all appearance.

An example of forced worship is found in the book of Esther. A certain Haman is out to kill Mordecai who is a type or foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus because Mordecai refuses to bow before him. When it is proved that Mordecai saved the life of the king, the king wants to honor him for that. God ensures that Haman is forced to do that (Est 6:1-11). In the same way God ensures that the Lord Jesus receives the honor He deserves for all that He has done.

Phil 2:11. The bent knee of every creature shows the attitude of homage. But it does not stop with that. Also the tongue of every creature comes in motion. It will be said aloud that the once humbled Jesus is “Lord”. No one will doubt that He has all authority in His hands. Any doubt about it will then completely be disappeared.

For you who believe, it is already a reality that God has given Him “all authority ... in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18), although you see in the world around you everything is not yet in subjection under His feet (Heb 2:8). When you confess Him as Lord now, you are but an exception. But then this will be over. Then no voice of protest is heard. It is not because such a voice will be overruled but there is simply no such dissenting voice. Every knee and every tongue leaves no exception.

And this massive and general homage will be given to God the Father through Him. What the Lord Jesus has done and what God has done for Him will be to the glory of God the Father for all eternity. Do you still know the reason for this impressive Example? To show us what a mind the Lord Jesus had on earth, a mind we must have too. When you see how God rewards and what its corresponding result is in eternity, does it not spur you on to make this mind your own? For me it does and undoubtedly it does for you also.

Now read Philippians 2:9-11 again.

Reflection: Say to God that you are in perfect agreement with the exaltation of the Lord Jesus.