Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form [. . .]
(Philippians 2:7)
The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
Then the LORD gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.
“Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’” (Jeremiah 18:1–11 NLT)
Instead . . .
Philippians 2:7 begins with a word that indicates something is about to change. It points to an alternative way. The prior verse tells us that Jesus was indeed God, and now as we move into verse 7, we see that Jesus is choosing to give up his divine privileges. I think it’s important to note that Jesus was not giving up his actual divinity but rather the privileges attached to it.
This is intriguing to me. I think it would have been easier for Jesus to give up his divinity entirely rather than giving up only the privileges attached to it. If Jesus had given up his divinity, he would have no omnipotence (power), no omnipresence (being everywhere at once), no omniscience (all knowing), or any supernatural authority. This would mean he would have no access to it at all. He would now be fully human. Done.
Instead . . . giving up his divine privileges means he still possessed all the power, wisdom, and presence and chose not to use them. They were still there, but he did not touch them.
Instead . . . he became a slave. Not even just an average, middle-class human. He went even further and took on the position of the “least of these.”
I think of Prince Harry of the British royal family, who, for the sake of his wife and children, gave up his royal position in the family. Harry seemingly had it all, but because of those he loved most dearly, he instead became one of us. He could turn back and work things out with his royal family, but instead he daily chooses to live a seemingly lesser life in order to give his family a better life.
I recognize this is a flawed example as Harry is still living a somewhat privileged life. However, it does highlight, even more starkly, the sacrifice Jesus made for the sake of humanity. He fully surrendered everything, even his own life, to bring us new life – life in abundance.
So how are we to respond to this gift?
I think of the story of Jeremiah responding to the Lord by going down to the potter’s house and seeing the potter smash the lump of clay he was working with because it didn’t turn out the way he had hoped. It causes me to wonder about my own life and all the times I wandered off, turning away from God and not turning out the way he had hoped. Those decisions always led to difficult seasons of life.
Finding my way back to Jesus required me to surrender my way to his way, which is only possible because he sacrificed his life for me. Rather than merely living a good life, what if our response to Jesus’s redemptive gift was to:
I thank the Lord daily that he is willing to start over and over again to remake me afresh in his image and that he would give his very life in order for this to be accomplished.
Deb Judas is the administrative assistant and director of Formation for the Missional Initiatives Team.