Everything my friend Chris Brady writes is intelligent and well worth reading. But the spiritual amplifier gets turned up to eleven by his current post “Why do Christians seem to need a body?”
Chris aka Dean Brady focuses on the crucifixion. Appropriate and as he notes providential given that we are about to begin Holy Week.
One of the lections for this Sunday which is Palm-Passion Sunday is Philippians 2:5a-11. The famous “Christ hymn”.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 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. (New International Version)
There are two resources I use most frequently when preparing a sermon. The Interpretation series and the New Interpreter’s Commentary. Fred Craddock does his usual fine job in discussing this text. But Morna Hooker breaks the bat and wins the World Series in the bottom of the 9th with a home run that flies right over the Green Monster.
Oh wait. She teaches at Cambridge. Um – wins the World Cup with a hat trick. Yeah.
Biblical exegesis and commentary do not come much better than this. Christians seem to need a body because of the crucifixion. Morna Hooker shows that we need a body also because of the incarnation. Philippians 2:5-11 interestingly enough hold incarnation and crucifixion together.
All three passages [Romans 8:14-17, Galatians 4:4-7, Philippians 2:5-11] describe what we may term “incarnation,” and in all three, the result of Christ’s becoming man is that human beings are made what he eternally is. (“Philippians”, New Interpreter’s Commentary, 504)
Chris in his post is responding to Stephen Mason in Psychology Today. Mason like many people including some Christians makes the mistake of thinking that Christianity is about the teachings of Jesus. In which case one can get rid of Jesus and still have the teachings. Christianity is not about the teachings of Jesus. It is about Jesus. The teachings of Jesus only have meaning and importance in light of who Jesus is and what Jesus does.
Perhaps will post the sermon if I do not ruin it first.
There are buckets of brilliance in how Morna Hooker unpacks Philippians 2:5-11. Her kung fu is righteous. One thing I especially appreciate is how she explains what has always troubled me about this text. Why does Paul speak of the form of God or human likeness or the appearance of a man? I thought Christ was God and became truly human. Hooker shows that Paul is comparing and contrasting Christ and Adam. The language of Philippians 2 echoes the language of Genesis 1-2.
There are some translation issues here as well. Both the New International and the New Revised Standard translations (which I use most frequently in my teaching preaching and disciplines) miss the mark in a few places thereby obscuring what Paul is trying to say. Hooker offers the following:
Show among yourselves the attitude that arises from the fact that you are in Christ.
Who being in the form of God
Did not consider as something-to-be-exploited
Equality with God
But made himself nothing
Taking the form of a slave!
Having become in human likeness
And being found in human appearance
He humbled himself
Becoming obedient to death
Even death on a cross!
Therefore God has highly exalted him
And given to him the name
That is above all names
That at the name of Jesus
Every knee should bow
In heaven and on earth and under the earth
And every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
To the glory of God the Father! (506-510)
