Title: The Jesus Paradox
Text: Philippians 2:5-11 (Mark 11:1-11)
Thesis: Jesus shows us the way to pleasing God. For Jesus the way up was down!
Introduction
A paradox is something that is contrary to expectations, existing beliefs or perceived opinions. It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but includes a latent truth.
For example there is a paradoxical line in George Orwell’s Animal Farm that goes like this: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” In Orwell’s context he was saying everyone is equal but the government does not treat everyone equally.
Our paradox today is the interesting twist that for Jesus, the way up was down!
On Palm Sunday Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey to the cheers of an enthusiastic and expectant crowd of adoring followers. They were hip deep in Zechariah 9:9 - 10: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt. He will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons of battle and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” Their expectation was for a king right then and there.
We have an understanding of that prophecy that is expressed in The Revelation Song which speaks of Jesus as “He who was and who is and who is to come.” It’s a now but not yet paradox.
Our text begins by outlining some relational character qualities befitting those who are followers of Jesus.
I. A Lofty Ideal – Humility as an aspiration
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:1-5
In that it is the Lenten Season and this being Palm Sunday our Gospel and Epistle texts are all about Jesus but here in Philippians 2:1-5, it is all about us. When we read verses 1-5 we know it is directed specifically at us. In its original context the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christians who made up the church in Philippi, i.e., the followers of Christ and the elders and deacons who lived there.
In most instances we know that the letters written to specific churches were written to speak to specific issues. In this case it seems that the people in the church in Philippi were having some problems getting along. They were pretty conflicted. They were in disagreement. They were not loving each other and they were not unified. Apparently there were some people who were self-seeking and others on ego trips.
In his letter Paul is attempting to remind the folks there that it would be good if they patterned their relationships after Jesus. “You must have the same attitude that Jesus had.” 2:5
These verses are indeed lovely but totally counter-intuitive in our culture. These verses defy conventional wisdom in a world that is about getting ahead, looking out for #1, rising to the top in a dog eat dog world, be a winner, take no prisoners world. We do not typically think of humility as an aspiration in the real world. And yet that is exactly what God wills for us… in the in our homes, in the workplace, in our neighborhoods, in our church and in our world.
A young rabbi found a serious problem in his new congregation. During the Friday service, half the congregation stood for the prayers and half remained seated, and each side shouted at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did helped solve the impasse.
Finally, in desperation, the young rabbi sought out the synagogue's 99-year-old founder.
He met the old rabbi in the nursing home and poured out his troubles. "So tell me," he pleaded, "was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during the prayers?"
"No," answered the old rabbi.
"Ah," responded the younger man, "then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers."
"No," answered the old rabbi.
"Well," the young rabbi responded, "what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout and the other half sit and scream."
"Ah," said the old rabbi, "that was the tradition." (As retold by P. J. Alindogan, The Potter's Jar blog, "Communicate and Relate” 9-4-11)
Apparently the church at Philippi had a similar tradition… they were living in conflict and lacking in love.
A. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
B. Consider the interests of others, i.e., let the needs of others precede your own.
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others as well. Philippians 2:4
I read an article this week. If you're like most people, you have a clear, hands down favorite topic for most of your conversations—yourself. On average, people spend 60 percent of conversations talking about themselves—and this figure jumps to 80 percent when communicating via social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. A recent study summarized in Scientific American reveals why we like talking about ourselves so much—because it feels good.
Researchers from Harvard found that when people talk about themselves parts of the brain associated with motivation and reward light up as when a person enjoys fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, pizza or a hit of cocaine. They concluded that we love talking about ourselves because it feels good. It's a neurological buzz. (Adapted from Adrian F. Ward, "The Neuroscience of Everybody's Favorite Topic," Scientific American, 7-16-13)
Another report suggested, listening is like doing squats while talking is like eating a cinnamon bun.
This admonition to get over ourselves and into consideration of others contradicts our tendencies toward selfishness and egotism.
The bible says the way we do verses 1-5 is to emulate the attitude of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus is the model of humility.
II. A Lofty Example – Humiliation as an act of self-emptying
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Philippians 2:6-8
The model of humility referenced in verses 1-4 is based on the example of Jesus in verses 5-8. However the example Jesus seems to take humility to an extreme…in the end Jesus’s humility resulted in what is described as a humiliating outcome in that he died a criminal’s death on a cross.
The next few verses reflect a downward spiral… from Godhead, to manhood, to death.
A. Jesus did not cling to his position, 2:6 - He gave up his divine privilege…
Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyah is Prime Minster of Israel. He has been around a long time. He recently spoke before the United States House of Representatives before returning home to fight for his job. It was predicted to be a tight election and Bibi, ever the consummate politician, made a huge swing to the political right and managed to be reelected to a 4th term.
My point is this… it seems people will say and do and spend anything to get elected to a position of power and then say and do and spend anything to stay in power.
We cannot ever begin to imagine what it was like for Jesus to be hanging out as the second person of the Godhead. We don’t know if it was a sumptuous gig like being a king or a head of state or a billionaire or celebrity of some kind. We assume it was pretty decent if it was worth grasping or clinging to.
It was not as though Jesus had worked out a deal like that in the story of the Prince and the Pauper wherein he agreed to switch hats for a while just to see what it was like on the other side of the tracks. Jesus literally gave it up.
Theologians call this the kenosis or self-emptying of Jesus.
B. Jesus made himself to be nothing, 2:7 – He humbled himself and took the position of a slave and was born as a human being and appeared in human form.
And became in every way a human being. The bible says he became flesh and lived among us. And if being human was not sufficiently humbling for God he further humbled himself to die as people die but only in a horrible way.
C. Jesus humbled himself to death, 2:8 - He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Jesus was never full of himself! Riding that donkey into Jerusalem was not a sign of power… it was a sign love and peace and humble obedience to the will of God for the good of mankind.
Because of Jesus willingness to forego his deity and to forego his earthly throne, God elevated him.
III. A Lofty Outcome – Honor as an act of God
Therefore, God has elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names… Philippians 2:9-11
Three points leap out of this part of our text:
A. God elevated Jesus to the place highest place, 2:9 (Note superlative in highest… no higher)
Cannot get any higher than highest!
B. God gave Jesus a name that is above all other names, 2:9
And you cannot get a name better than Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Messiah… and Jesus.
C. So every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father, 2:10-11
Conclusion
The point today is not that we should emulate Jesus by going out in search of some sword to fall on or some noble cause to die for or some cross upon which to be crucified… so we can get a ringside seat in heaven.
The point is that in life we have the same attitude as Jesus had. The way to honor God is through humility. We honor God when we get along. We honor God when we are loving and kind. We honor God when we do not have to have our own way. We honor God when we keep the best interests of others in mind… and we do that by doing that in the everydayness of our lives.
God’s agenda for us is not as complicated as we think. In fact it is pretty much lived out in the everydayness of our lives.
Remember what George said to Mary in Frank Capra’s classic, It’s a Wonderful Life?
"Mary, I know what I'm going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. I'm going to leave this little town far behind, and I'm going to see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Coliseum. Then I'm coming back here, and I'll go to college and see what they know, and then I'm going to build things. I'm going to build air fields. I'm going to build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I'm going to build bridges a mile long."
As it turns out, George is wrong. He doesn't know what he's going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. As it turns out, what he is supposed to do tomorrow is pretty much what he did today. God's plan for him is to do the ordinary thing…
In his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene Peterson recounts the story of the fourth century church father Gregory of Nyssa whose brother Basil had arranged for him to be made bishop of Cappadocia. "Gregory objected," Peterson writes. "He didn't want to be stuck in such an out-of-the-way place. His brother told him he didn't want Gregory to obtain distinction from his church but to confer distinction upon it." Is this not what Christ wants for us as well? To lower our sights and put away our lasso? To seek the good of the small places in which he has placed us and to confer distinction upon them by serving him with humility there? The path of glory is often an obscure one. It is the way of the cross. (John Koessler, "George Bailey Lassos the Moon," on his blog A Stranger in the House of God, 3-18-10)
Our challenge is to emulate Christlikeness in the everydayness of our lives. So with that in mind hear God’s Word again as we prepare to go, “…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
