The Consequences of Leaving the Form of God: The Christian Hymn of Christ's Humility
November 5, 2024 - Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Phil 2:5-11
The hymn of Christ's humility and glorification that we hear from Paul's letter to the Philippians has the story of Genesis as its background. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent promised Eve that by eating the forbidden fruit, she and Adam would become like God (see Gen. 3:5). This is humanity’s perpetual temptation, which has recently been captured in Yuval Noah Harari’s book "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow".
The Christian hymn that Paul incorporated into his letter presents us with two vital questions: What does Christ's humility tell us about God? And what does it mean to be human? If we walked through the streets of the Roman Empire during Paul’s time, we would see billboards of emperors sitting on thrones, receiving the homage of conquered nations. For example, there was an image of the emperor Tiberius, under whose reign Jesus was crucified, riding triumphantly in his chariot. In the public eye, the emperors—whether Roman or Chinese—were considered divine, “the sons of gods.” It would have been unthinkable for them to leave their thrones and willingly abandon their presumed divine status. Yet, Jesus did exactly that. He, who was in the form of God, emptied Himself and took the form of a servant.
Adam disobeyed God's commandment and reached for the forbidden fruit to become like God. In his book, Harari explores how, historically, humans have sought to conquer famine, war, and disease—once the primary challenges of life—and how, in the future, we may focus on achieving immortality, happiness, and divinity. In Harari’s view, with technological advancements like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and data-driven innovations, humanity is heading for a "god-like" status, hence the title Homo Deus ("Man-God"). Yet again, Jesus went in the opposite direction. Not only did He give up "the form of God" and take "the form of a servant," but He was also "obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8).
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote that Jesus "is the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15). What does His giving up the form of God tell us about God? Paul also teaches that Jesus Christ is the new or last "Adam." What does His obedience and humility tell us about what it means to be truly human? The answers to these questions will impact our future. We can compare our God to the ancient emperors and tremble, or meditate upon Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and be transformed by His love. We can follow Adam's example of disobedience and strive for a god-like status, or follow Christ by loving and serving others.
Our Christian hymn ends with Christ's cosmic glorification: "every knee should bend" at the name of Jesus, and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil. 2:10-11). Why will all creation bend and acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus? Because of His irresistible love. We bow our knees before Jesus, not out of fear, but out of deep gratitude for setting us free from the power of sin. Jesus draws us to Himself, not with threatening power, but with His love. We come to Him, not because we are forced to, but because we want to. We come to Him because He has captured our hearts by giving up everything for our salvation. What Paul said of himself applies to us all: "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).