Christ in Mind

 Philippians 2:1-13 is a text that is very familiar to many preachers.  A portion of this text is often read on Passion Sunday when we highlight the "emptying of self" that was so evident in Christ's death on the Cross.  On this 17th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark, we hear, along with the well-known hymn of Christ's self-emptying, an exhortation.  The preacher for this day will need to take note therefore, not only of the hymn, but of the call to obedience that surrounds it.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used with other fine sets of questions that have other concerns which are available to exegetes. These questions concern the function of the Word, a fundamental issue for Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on the method from which these questions originate, and Law and Gospel preaching in general, see  my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions primarily as gospel in that the hymn, verses 6-11, is one of the most succinct statements in Scripture of the gospel.  As scholars have long pointed out, the pre-existence, existence, and post-existence of Christ are all detailed in this amazing hymn.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little mention of the Law in this text, that is to say, of our need for a Savior.  In the opening verses one could read between the lines to understand that the congregation is not of "one mind" and in "full accord", but Paul does not go to any lengths to emphasize this disunity.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those addressed here.  We are the ones who need to focus ourselves clearly on the Cross, bowing the knee to this One whom God has exalted, and responding to this grace with minds which are akin to that of Christ.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The opening five verses, and the final two, are classic calls to obedience.  They all call us to respond to the self-emptying of Christ by emptying ourselves as well.  "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus" is the classic form of a call to obedience.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There is plenty of language in this text that will provide useful fodder for couplets.  Here are a few ideas:  empty/full; dead/alive; humbled/exalted.

6.  Exegetical work:  Verse 6 is notoriously hard to translate.  The classic KJV translation is, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."  The word, 'arpage' is sometimes translated "booty" or "plunder", meaning something "forcibly confiscated in a persecution." (Bauer, Gingrich, Danker, eds., A Greek-English Lexicon of the NT and other early Christian Literature, p. 108).  Kittel has an extended discussion of this term, saying that it is a difficult word and suggesting several possibilities:  "He did not regard equality with God as a gain, either in the sense of something not to be let slip, or in the sense of something not to be left unutilized."  Or "He did not regard it as a gain equal with God."  Or "Against all expectation, Jesus did not regard equality with God as a gain to be utilized."  (Theological Dictionary of the NT, Vol I., p. 472f).  Another important word in this text is 'kenao' in verse 7, often translated "emptied".  A number of translations try to get at the  different nuances in this verb:  "made himself of no reputation" (KJV), "laid aside his mighty power" (LB), "stripped himself of every advantage" (Ph), "made himself nothing" (NIV and NEB).  Once again Kittel helps us with this important term, defining it thusly, "To make empty, to deprive of content or possession."  "What is meant is that the heavenly Christ did not selfishly exploit his divine form and mode of being, but by his own decision emptied Himself of it or laid it by, taking the form of a servant by becoming a man."  (TDNT, Vol. III, p. 659f).  This is helpful because it points to the intentional divestment of self that Christ made on the Cross.  He did not make himself nothing, but he let go of what was rightfully his.  This, it seems to me, is a worthy distinction.

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Bill White, in his analysis, does a fine job of recognizing the "mind" of the people to whom Paul was writing.  They do not have the mind of Christ (Law), but Christ nonetheless is mindful of them (Gospel).  See the entire analysis, archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!