LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11 - Share in His Love ...€¦ · LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11...

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LECTIO DIVINA

Philippians 2:1-11

26th

Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Fr. Michael Brizio, IMC

www.shareinhisloveministries.com

1) OPENING PRAYER:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the

fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And

You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the

faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations.

Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

2) READING OF THE WORD (What the Word says): Philippians

2:1-11

1 If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any

participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,

united in heart, thinking one thing.

3 Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than

yourselves,

4 each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.

5 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

6 Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in

appearance,

8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

http://www.shareinhisloveministries.com/

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3) EXPLANATION (What the Word means):

Context:

In 1:12-26, Paul describes his own situation. He is in prison, but assures

the Philippian Christians that his imprisonment has actually served to

spread the Gospel, because it has given him opportunity to witness to the

imperial guard (1:12-13).

He emphasizes this reassurance to counter any inclination on the part of

the Philippian Christians to interpret Paul’s imprisonment as evidence

that God has abandoned him.

Paul used phrases that spell out the problem that he is addressing in this letter: “Of course, some preach Christ

from envy and rivalry, others from good will. The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of

the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will

cause me trouble in my imprisonment” (1:15-17).

This kind of envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition plagues the Philippian church.

In 1:27-30, Paul gives his prescription for this problem. He calls Philippian Christians to live their lives “in a

way worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27a), so they can stand “firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling

together for the faith of the gospel” (1:27b).

v.1: If there is any encouragement, paraklesis, in Christ, any solace

in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion, splagma,

and mercy,

When someone uses the word “if” to begin a sentence, we must look to

the context to determine whether the speaker is describing a factual

condition or something contrary to fact.

The context of this verse makes it clear that Paul is talking about

something that is true; and Paul expects these Philippian Christians to

nod their heads, and say: Well, of course there is “encouragement in Christ”; of course there is “solace in love,”

…

v.2a: complete, pleroo, my joy

Both in his present difficult circumstances and in anticipation of his trial,

Paul has rejoiced and will continue to do so, since the gospel is being

furthered, and Christ is about to receive even greater glory.

Now Paul urges the readers to bring that joy to its full completion by

advancing the gospel still more in Philippi (2:14-16).

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Paul’s appeal is something like: if our common experience of comfort from God’s love has been important for

us, then express that same love toward me, by completing my joy by having the same love toward one another.

But to do so they must put an end to the murmuring and bickering; they must have unity of spirit in their life

together in Christ and must show mutual love for one another.

The Philippian Christians need to do these four things to make Paul’s joy complete. they must cultivate in

themselves the following attitudes:

v.2b: by being of the same mind, phroneo,

The word phroneo has a variety of meanings.

It carries the nuance of setting one’s mind on something, thus having a

certain disposition toward something (e.g., life, values, people) or a

certain way of looking at things, thus a mind-set or unity of intent:

Rom. 8:5-7.

The emphasis is thus on the Philippians’ unity of purpose and disposition - unity with regard to the gospel and

their heavenly citizenship, and not on their all having the same opinions about everything.

A literal translation would be: thinking the same way.

v.2c: with the same love, agape,

Agape is one of the two words used in the New Testament for love - the

other being philos.

The classic distinction between agape and philos is that agape has to do

with a concern for the well-being of the other person, while philos has to

do with brotherly love, friendship love, companionate love - the kind of

love where a person receives as well as gives.

While there is some question about the sharpness of that distinction,

scholars tend to agree that “philos does contain an element of mutuality

not found in agape” (Melick).

In other words, philos has to do both with giving and getting,

while agape has to do only with giving - with an unalloyed concern for

the welfare of the other person.

Agape love is more a “doing” than a “feeling” word.

It doesn’t require that we approve of the actions of the person whom we

love, or even that we enjoy their company. It does require us to act in

behalf of that person and to demonstrate our love in some practical

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fashion.

An agape person will do what is possible to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to welcome the

stranger, to clothe the naked, and to visit the sick and the person in prison (Matthew 25:31-46).

The agape person has little or nothing to gain by helping these marginal people. The thrust of agape love is

giving, not getting.

The Philippians will fill Paul’s cup of joy as they return to full and complete love for one another

v.2d: united in heart, sympsychos,

The word sympsychos is a combination of two Greek words: sun, which

means “with,” and psyche, which means breath or life or the breath of

life, or heart and soul.

Paul is calling these Philippian Christians to live in such unity that they

share life and soul with each other.

v.2e: thinking one thing, heis.

The word heis indicates some sort of singularity or unity.

For instance, it can indicate the cardinal numeral “one” - a cardinal

number being a number that specifies quantity rather than order. In

other words, in this verse heis means “one,” as in “one thing” - not

“one” as in “the first among many.”

Therefore, the Philippians should be focusing on one thing or one goal, being single-minded, looking together

in one direction.

Paul wants them to focus on loving and serving one another - just as Christ lived to serve others.

v.3a: Do nothing out of selfishness, eritheia,

The word eritheia was used to speak of partisan, unprincipled

electioneering.

The person who is guilty of eritheia is not only selfish, but probably

doesn’t care whom he hurts on the way to his goal.

Eritheia describes an ugliness of spirit that is likely to produce strife and

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injury. Of course, the person who is trying to model his life after Christ will want to avoid eritheia.

v.3b: or out of vainglory, kenodoxia;

The word kenodoxian comes from two words: Kenos means empty or

vain or devoid of truth. Doxa means glory or splendor.

Doxa is most often used to speak of the glory of the Lord, but it can be

used for the glory of human achievement or the honors that accompany

such achievement.

The word kenodoxia, therefore, describe those who think highly of

themselves, not those who might appear to have grounds for “glory,”

but those whose “glory” is altogether baseless.

We sometimes speak of people being “puffed up,” or “full of air,”

“empty suits” to speak of people who dress with authority, but have

little of substance to offer.

In Paul kenodoxia occurs also in the context of a church where people are in discord (eritheia): Galatians 5:26.

In Philippi Euodia and Syntyche as not getting along (4:2) and there is grumbling and disputing (2:14). Paul

knows that if these attitudes are allowed to continue unchecked, the believing community is headed for serious

trouble.

v.3c: rather, humbly, tapeinophrosyne,

The word tapeinophrosune is a compound word from tapeinos (lowly)

and phronein (to think, to feel), hence lowliness of mind, humility.

The word is not much used in classical Greek, but well attested in the

New Testament and early Christian writers: Colossians 2:23; 3:12;

Ephesians 4:2.

Humility is a uniquely Christian virtue, which, as with the message of a

crucified Messiah, stands in utter contradiction to the values of the Greco-Roman world, who generally

considered humility not a virtue, but a shortcoming.

Here Paul’s roots are in the Old Testament where the term indicates lowliness in the sense of “creatureliness,”

and the truly humble show themselves so by resting their case with God rather than trusting their own strength

and machinations.

Humility is thus not to be confused with false modesty, or with servility.

Rather, humility has to do with a proper estimation of oneself, the stance of the creature before the Creator,

utterly dependent and trusting. In other words, as CS Lewis noted, “humility is not thinking less of yourself,

but thinking of yourself less.”

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The humble person is well aware both of one’s weaknesses and of one’s glory - we are in his image, after all -

but makes neither too much nor too little of either.

True humility is therefore not self-focused, but “looks to others’ interests rather than to his own.”

It is extraordinary how often great personalities in the Church almost fled from office because they were

convinced of being unworthy.

Ambrose was one of the great figures of the early Church. He as great scholar and the Roman governor of the

province of Liguria and Aemilia, and he governed with such loving care that the people regarded him as a

father. The bishop of the district died and the question of his successor arose. In the midst of the discussion,

suddenly a little child cried out: “Ambrose-bishop! Ambrose-bishop!” The whole crowd took up the cry. To

Ambrose it was unthinkable. He fled by night to avoid the high office the Church was offering him, and it was

only the direct intervention and command of the Emperor that made him agree to become bishop of Milan.

Far from being filled with ambition, truly great men were filled with a sense of their own inadequacy.

Paul’s teaching comes from Jesus, where humility explains both his own self-understanding and his opposition

to Pharisaism. Jesus’ invitation to the heavily laden “to come and learn from me” (Matthew 11:29) is placed in

a context where the Son alone knows the Father and so is revealed as “gentle and humble (tapeinos) in heart” to

“babes” and not to the “wise and learned” (Matthew 11:25).

Paul, therefore, is calling the Philippian Christians to adopt a humble opinion of themselves - to willingly accept

a lowly place.

v.3d: regard others as more important than yourselves,

Believers are members of one another (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25),

who are to build up one another (1Thessalonians 5:11; Romans 14:19),

to care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25), to love one another (1

Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Romans. 13:8) to pursue

one another’s good (1 Thessalonians 5:15), to bear with one another in

love (Ephesians 4:2), to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), to be kind and compassionate to one

another, forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13), to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), to

be devoted to one another in love (Romans 12:10), to live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16).

As with humility, it is not so much that others in the community are to be thought of as better than I am, but as

those whose needs and concern are superior, (“more important”) to my own.

This is the sure cure for “selfishness or vainglory,” not to mention “grumbling and bickering” (v.14).

For Paul humility is the road to true unity among believers. If selfish ambition and vain glory are what erode

relationships within the church, then the surest safeguard to a healthy church is when considering each other’s

needs as more important than our own characterizes its people, especially those in positions of leadership.

This assumes that such is the case with Euodia and Syntyche (4:2-3).

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v.4: each looking out, skopeo, not for his own interests, but also

everyone for those of others.

The verb skopeo (“looking out”) (3:17) in the writings of St. Paul

ordinarily means to keep one’s eye on someone or something, to look

out for, to watch out for the needs of others.

It is this sense that is emphasized in the compound episcopeo, episcopos

(overseer, bishop).

This, then, is Paul’s basic response to the petty grumbling and bickering going on among some within the

believing community in Philippi - a kind of unrest that not only dulls their witness within that city but at the

same times erodes their ability to stand side by side for the sake of the gospel in the face of strong opposition.

Paul encourages us to rethink and re-experience the love and encouragement that we receive from the Trinity,

and on that basis also rethink - and thus reorient - our life in Christ in terms of our relationships to one another.

v.5: Have among yourselves the same attitude, phroneo, that is also

yours in Christ Jesus,

Paul begins with an emphatic imperative.

Phroneo has to do with our understanding, our attitudes, our mindset.

Paul is calling us to emulate Christ Jesus, who committed himself to serving undeserving people at great

personal cost.

Without adopting Christ’s attitude, we could never accomplish what Christ wants us to do - to be united in

mind, love, and accord (v. 2). We could never repeal the law of self-interest to put the other person’s interest

first (vv. 3-4).

But it becomes possible for us to do these things once we have an example of how it should be done.

That is what Christ Jesus has done for us. He has given us a visible example of a life of pure love and of pure

service. He has shown us what it looks like when someone puts aside his/her self-interest to do something for

others.

v.6a: Who, though he was in the form, morphe, of God,

This introduces the idea of the pre-existence of Christ.

The clearest reference to Christ’s pre-existence is found in the Prologue to the Gospel of John: “In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with

God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. And we saw his glory, the glory

as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14; 1 John 4:6).

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Morphe denotes “form” or “shape” not in terms of the external by which something is recognized, but those

characteristics and qualities that are essential to it. Hence it means: that which truly characterizes a given

reality, that which, in any circumstances, remains the same and which cannot be changed.

For example, a baby, a child, a boy, a youth, a middle age or an old man always have the morphe (“form”) of

humanity above the outward changes. Roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, dahlias, etc., all have the one morphe of

flowers, although each flower is different.

For Paul, therefore, Jesus’ morphe (“form”) is that of God. That is to

say, his unchangeable being is divine and he remained in essence divine

even in becoming man.

Paul’s purpose in mentioning Christ’s pre-existence is to show us how

much Christ had to give up to dwell among us. He gave up being God

so that he might become a human baby. He gave up heaven to be born

in a stable.

v.6b:did not regard equality, isos, with God

The word isos is also found in John 5:18, where the Jews were seeking

to kill Jesus because he was calling God his father - and thereby

“making himself equal, ison, with God,” i.e., claiming for himself

Godly status and authority.

Their error, of course, was their assumption that Jesus' claim of Godly

status and authority was false.

v.6c: something to be grasped, harpagmos.

The Greeks used the word harpagmos to speak of seizing a prize or booty, or grabbing and holding onto

anything of value.

Equality with God is something that was inherent to Christ in his pre-existence. Nonetheless, God-likeness -

contrary to common understanding - was not for Christ something to be a grasped or held onto for his own

personal advantage - as it would for the “gods” and “lords” whom the Philippians had previously known.

He understood their value, but was willing to sacrifice them in the service of a higher value - the salvation of

humankind.

As Christ did not consider being equal with God as something to be

taken selfish advantage of or something to further his own ends, so also

the members of the Philippian community should have an attitude of

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humility by which the needs of others are thought to be more important than their own.

Paul also places Christ in contrast with Adam, who, “being in God’s image,” (morphe and eikon are often

interchangeable) considered his “equality with God” as something to be seized.

Christ, on the contrary, disdained such “grasping” and did the opposite. As Adam tried to become “like God,”

Christ, as God, in fact became man.

v.7a: Rather, he emptied, kenoo, himself,

The word kenoo means to empty, or to make void in the sense of

rendering a thing harmless or powerless.

Christ, although in human form and fully human, continued to carry

within him divine power. He was able to stop a storm in its tracks

(Mark 4:39); to heal people and even to raise them from the dead (Luke

8:40-41, 49-56; John 11:1-44). That is why we speak of Christ as fully

human and fully divine.

So there is a sense in which Christ emptied himself, but retained something of Godly power.

To understand the full import of “emptied himself,” we must first start with what Christ was prior to his

emptying - he was “in the form of God” (v. 6a) - equal with God (v. 6b).

Rather than doing anything on the basis of “empty glory,” Christ on the contrary “emptied himself,” “became

poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9); he made himself of no reputation, made himself nothing.

“The real humiliation of the incarnation and the cross is that one who was himself God, and who never during

the whole process stopped being God, could embrace such a vocation” (Wright).

Thus, we are still dealing here with the character of God, as that has been revealed in the “attitude” and activity

of Christ. The concern is with divine selflessness: God is not an acquisitive being, grasping and seizing, but

self-giving for the sake of others.

v.7b: taking the form, morphe, of a slave, doulos,

“Form, morphe,” again means that in his earthly existence he took on the

“essential quality” and nature of what it meant to be a slave.

According to Paul, divine love manifests itself in performing the duties

of a slave.

The word doulos means servant or slave - a person without advantages,

with no rights or privileges, but in servanthood to all.

A gentler Greek word, diakonos, means servant but not slave.

Christ did not divest himself of his Godliness to become a diakonos, servant but a doulos, slave.

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Paul stresses the fact that Jesus’ becoming man was no play-acting, but reality. He was not like the Greek gods,

who - according to the myths - sometimes became men but kept their divine privileges. Jesus truly became a

human being.

Christ came from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low. This was not a demotion forced on him from

on high. He took it on himself voluntarily to serve the needs of humankind.

v.7c: coming, gignesthai, in human likeness, homoiomatos;

The verb gignesthai describes a state which is not a permanent state.

The idea is that of becoming, and it describes a changing phase which is

completely real but which passes. Therefore, the manhood of Jesus was

not permanent; it was utterly real, but it passed.

The idea conveyed by homoiomatos is that Christ was born looking like

an ordinary baby -resembling an ordinary person.

This word homoiomatos allows for the ambiguity, emphasizing that Christ was similar to our humanity in some

respects and dissimilar in others.

The similarity lies with his full humanity: in his incarnation he was “like” in the sense of “the same as.” The

dissimilarity, which in Romans 8:3 had to do with his being sinless while in the “likeness” of sinful flesh, in this

case has to do with his never ceasing to be “equal with God.”

Thus Christ came in the “likeness” of human beings, because on the one hand he has fully identified with us,

and because on the other hand in becoming human he was not human only. He was God living out a truly

human life, all of which is safeguarded by this expression.

v.7d: and found human in appearance, skemata

Paul picks up the idea from the preceding phrase (“in human likeness”)

but says it in a slightly different way.

The primary sense of skemata has to do not with the essential quality of

something, but with its externals, that which makes it recognizable.

Thus, having said that Christ came in the “likeness” of human beings

(v.7b), Paul now says that he appeared in a way that was clearly

recognizable as human.

Together the two phrases stress the reality of his humanity, just as the

first two phrases in the preceding stress accent his deity.

In sum: In Christ Jesus God has thus shown his true nature.

This is what it means for Christ to be “equal with God” - to pour himself out for the sake of others and to do so

by taking the role of a slave.

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At the same time, Christ also reveals what it means for us to be created in God’s image, to bear his likeness and

have his “attitude” - to take the role of the slave for the sake of others.

v.8a: he humbled himself, tapeinoo,

Christ brought himself low, reduced himself to lowly circumstances, took a lower place than he could rightly

have occupied.

v.8b: becoming obedient to death,

hrist went to his death willingly, but it was in obedience - the text

doesn’t specify to whom.

While it could have been obedience to his highest impulses, it was

surely obedience to God the Father (Matthew 26:39; John 5:19; 8:28;

Romans 5:19; Hebrews 5:8; 10:7).

v.8c: even death on a cross.

“Death on a cross” is the very heart of Pauline theology, both of his

understanding of God as such, and of his understanding of what God

has done, and is doing in the world.

Here is where the one who as “equal with God” has most fully revealed

the truth about God: that “God is love” and that his love expresses itself

in self-sacrifice - cruel, humiliating death on a cross - for the sake of those he loves.

The divine weakness - death at the hands of his creatures, his enemies - is the divine scandal because the cross

was reserved for slaves and insurrectionists.

Cicero said (Verr. 5.66): “To bind a Roman citizen is a crime; to flog him is an abomination; to slay him is

almost an act of murder; to crucify him is what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible

a deed.” And again, “the very word ‘cross’ should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen,

but from his thoughts, his eyes, and his ears.”

“Who endured the cross, scorning its shame” (Hebrews12:2).

No one in Philippi, or anywhere else in the early Church, used the cross as a symbol for their faith, or there

were no gold crosses embossed on Bibles or worn as pendants around the neck or lighted on the steeple of the

local church.

The cross was God’s - and thus the Philippians’ - scandal and God’s contradiction to human wisdom and power

because the one they worshiped as Lord of all and Messiah had been crucified as a state criminal at the hands of

one of Caesar’s proconsuls (Luke 23:2).

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v.9a: Because of this, God greatly exalted, hyperupsoo, him

The word hyperupsoo combines two Greek words, hyper (high)

and hupsoo (exalt).

To be exalted is to be lifted up, raised high, praised.

Christ’s exaltation began with his resurrection, which attested to his

power over death. That was followed by his ascension (his return to

heaven) and his heavenly enthronement.

His exaltation will culminate with his Second Coming, at which he will sit on his throne judging all the peoples

of the world, separating sheep (those who are fit for God’s kingdom) from goats (those who are not) (Matthew

25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation 20:11-15).

v.9b: and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

People considered a person’s name to be more than a simple label to identify that person. They believed that

something of the person’s identity was tied up in the name - that the name expressed something of the person’s

essential character. They also assumed that a name - at least some names - possessed something of the power of

the one who wore that name.

One of the common biblical ideas is the giving of a new name to mark a new stage in a person’s life. Abram

became Abraham when he received the promise of God (Genesis 17:5). Jacob became Israel when God entered

into the new relationship with him (Genesis 32:28). The promise of the Risen Christ to both Pergamum and to

Philadelphia is the promise of a new name (Revelation 2:17; 3:12).

“Lord, kurios,” is the title by which Jesus came to be known in the early Church.

v.10a: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,

The wording of vv.10-11 is taken from Isaiah 45:23, which says, “to me

every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”

Paul also refers to this Isaiah 45 text in Romans 14:11.

The Isaiah oracle contrasts God, “who created the heavens, who formed

the earth and made it” (Isaiah 45:18), with Babylonian idols, gods of

wood who could not save (Isaiah 45:20).

God said, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I

have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee

shall bow, every tongue shall swear’” (Isaiah 45:22-23).

By applying this divine ascription to Jesus, Paul is placing Jesus on the same plane as God (John 1:1-14, 14; 1

Corinthians 15:24-28).

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The bending of the knee is a common expression for doing homage, sometimes in prayer, but always in

recognition of the authority of the god or person to whom one is offering such obeisance: Psalm 95:6; Mark

15:19; Luke 5:8; 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; Ephesians 3:14.

It is the lesser person acknowledging the greater, the human acknowledging the divine, the creation

acknowledging the creator. It shows submission to a higher power.

The whole created order shall give Him obeisance.

v.10b: of those in heaven and on earth

Bowed knees shall acknowledge Christ’s divinity throughout the created order - in the heavens, on earth, and

under the earth.

The angelic host will sing his praises in heaven. People and all living beings will bow their knee on earth.

This will include all those who are currently causing suffering in Philippi, and those who failed to acknowledge

him during their lifetimes.

At his Second coming they will see him sitting on his divine throne and

pronouncing judgment.

v.10c: and under the earth,

It refers to those who have died and been buried.

v.11a: and every tongue, glossa

The word glossa sometimes refers to languages. In this case “every

tongue” means every person, regardless of the language one speaks.

However, Paul is more likely picking up the sense of the Septuagint of Isaiah 45:23, that the tongue of every

person shall confess - which is also in keeping with the parallel “knee.”

v.11b: confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, kyrios,

For Paul this confession is the line of demarcation between believer and

nonbeliever (Romans 10:9). Such confession can come only by way of

the Spirit (1Corinthians 12:3), hence the crucial role of the Spirit in

conversion.

This confession is also linked with conviction about the resurrection of

Jesus (Romans 10:9).

In the Old Testament, God’s name was YHWH, Yahweh.

The Jewish people, to avoid violating the commandment against using God’s name wrongfully (Exodus 20:7),

used instead the word adonay, which means “the Lord.”

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When the Jewish people translated their Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek language (the translation known as

the Septuagint or LXX), they translated the Hebrew word, adonay, into the Greek word, kyrios. So, Jewish

people were accustomed to using this Greek word, kyrios, to speak of God even though kyrios can also be used

for human authorities.

The New Testament frequently uses kyrios to speak of God (Matthew 1:20, 22, 24; 2:13, 15; Mark 13:20; Luke

1:6; Romans 11:34, etc.).

It also uses kyrios to apply to Jesus various Old Testament references to God (Mark 1:2-3; Acts 2:21; Romans

10:13; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:15-18).

Paul links the lordship of God and Jesus with the words, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Early Christians lived in an environment where people were expected to say, “Caesar is Lord.”

While this was intended to designate Caesar as ruler over the Roman realm, it also tended to take on spiritual

connotations - that Caesar was Lord in some sort of spiritual sense.

Believing that Jesus is the one and only Lord, early Christians often refused to say, “Caesar is Lord,” and often

died violently at the hands of the Romans as a result.

In Philippi, to say, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” required faith and courage.

Also keep in mind that, as Paul writes these words, Paul is sitting in a Roman prison, awaiting the opportunity

to stand before the emperor to defend the charges that led to his imprisonment. Nevertheless, he writes words

that could be interpreted as subversive- that Jesus Christ is Lord.

By saying “Jesus Christ is Lord” the believer means that for him Jesus Christ is unique, and that he is prepared

to give Him an obedience that he is prepared to give no one else. He may not be able to offer an elaborate

explanation of all that he believes Jesus to be, but, so long as there is in his life this unquestioning obedience, he

is a Christian, because Christianity consists less in the mind

understanding than in faithfully serving and loving Christ the Lord.

v.11b: to the glory of God the Father.

The word “glory” is used in the Bible to speak of various things, but is

used especially to speak of God’s glory - an aura associated with God’s

appearance that reveals God’s majesty to humans.

Paul says here that confessing Christ’s lordship gives honor to God the

Father. Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God. God the Father and

God the Son are so inextricably linked that we can say that they (along

with the Holy Spirit) are one. So honoring Jesus Christ is one way of

honoring God the Father.

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4) MEDITATION (What the Word suggests to me):

a) We read the Word again.

b) Select the word or a brief phrase which touched you or impressed you. Repeat this word/phrase aloud and

slowly 3 times. Between each repetition allow a moment of silence for the Word to penetrate into our hearts.

c) We will remain silent for a few minutes, and let the Lord speak to us.

d) We now share what the Lord has given us in this word. We avoid discussions or sermons or comments on

what others have said. We share what the Lord has told us personally by using such expressions as, “To me this

word has said …”

5) QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION (What the Word asks me):

a) Is love and unity of disposition the priority in my being part of the Christian community?

b) How do I show selfishness and vainglory in my day?

c) What area of my life is not yet under the lordship of Christ?

d) Is it clear the my only life purpose is to give glory to Christ?

6) WORD OF LIFE (What the Word reminds me):

Jesus Christ is Lord.

7) ACTION (What the Word invites me to do):

I will spend a few minutes in meditation and contemplation of the cross.

8) PRAYER (What the Word makes me pray): PSALM 25

Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are

God my savior.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. The sins of my youth and my frailties

remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the

humble his way.

And may the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon us and with us remain

forever and ever.

LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11 - Share in His Love ...€¦ · LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11...

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Transcript of LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11 - Share in His Love ...€¦ · LECTIO DIVINA Philippians 2:1-11...