Saturday, September 12, 2015

Philippians 2:8

"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death. WHHAT!!! When's the last time you humbled yourself, and became obedient to the point of dying? Probably never because you are reading this. I am saying the same thing. "Take, eat; this is my body." Mark 14:22. His disciples knew He was going to die, but they didn't know it was going to be the next morning. I can imagine that many of them were wondering, "how is this your body when you are sitting right in front of me handing me bread." They didn't say a word during this time of Passover. Next Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Mark 14:24-25. "Oh my gosh, no more grape juice for Him until He is standing next to the Father." That's not what His disciples were saying. They probably said, "thank you Lord. Shall we sing a hymn?" Not sure if they said thank you, but they defiantly sang. The next morning, He was arrested, beaten in front of many, covered in His own blood and others spit, and made to carry a heavy wooden cross a little ways to where He was going to be crucified. He was then pierced through His hands and feet, and still wearing a crown of thorns. "Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?" Mark 15:34. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." As Jesus cried out those last words with His last breath, had died on the cross. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and in three days a new kingdom was built, the kingdom of God. 
That's rich stuff. Jesus obeyed every word God had commanded, humbled Himself in doing so as well. Just as it was said in Philippians, "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death..." Isaiah 53:7-9, "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, He was taken from prison and from judgement, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people He was stricken and they made His grave with the wicked-but the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." He had even obeyed the Old Testament. Every word of it, humbled Himself, and obeyed. It's difficult to humble yourself when you are commanded to do the worst or the most outrageous thing. But it's encouraging to know that someone before me, multiple people before me, had humbled themselves and picked up that cross and were persecuted to death. 1 Peter 5:5, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 

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