|
Philippians 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became
obedient to death—
even death on a
cross!
|
December 15
Christ's Humility
Philippians 2 describes what is known as
Christ's kenosis, or the emptying of Himself.
In this, Jesus emptied Himself of His godliness
to take on flesh and come to earth.
At Christmas we celebrate Jesus' birth and focus
on how His birth was humble even in human terms
- being birthed in a stable and laid in a
feeding trough. This is just a physical
reflection of Jesus' true humility in coming to
earth.
We can't fully grasp everything that Jesus gave
up when He became a man. He left the
splendor of heaven to be surrounded by people
who would mock and despise Him.
While a man, Jesus endured rejection by
multitudes and was betrayed by a close friend.
None of this comes close to the pain that He
endured on the cross however. Not only was
there physical pain but as is discussed in
Jesus' Last Words, He
endured great spiritual pain.
Jesus didn't have to go through any of this.
But He did. He willingly humbled Himself
to such a position because of His love for us. |
