Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus’ life gives us a pattern that is not only valid in the present time, but that shows up with great regularity throughout both the Old and New Testaments: humility and obedience leading to exaltation by God. Jesus showed this pattern to the highest degree.
In becoming a real human being, not simply a theophany or an avatar of God, Jesus had to leave behind all that He had know up to that point (which, in His case, was all eternity past). He set aside His divinity in favor of humanity and made Himself wholly dependent on the Father for everything.
Surprisingly for many people, Jesus never set His own agenda, never decided what to do on His own in any situation, but always lived with both ears and both eyes open to God’s direction and instruction. He Himself said: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what He sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19 NIV) And, when asked when His return would come, and along with it the end of the world, He told His followers: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36 NIV) As God the Son, He was privy to everything that God knows. But as Jesus, the son of man, He had stepped down from all that knowledge, and only knew what the Father was showing Him each day.
Obedience to the whole will of the Father was the natural result of the whole-hearted humility of Jesus. When God spoke, Jesus listened and obeyed completely, every moment of every day. There was no hesitation, no charging ahead, no following a “better idea”. Just pure, complete obedience.
And the result of that humility and complete obedience was that Jesus’ task was completed in every detail. And, when everything had been accomplished, the Father exalted Jesus to His right hand, and made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), restoring all the glory and divinity that the Son had had before His life-saving mission into the physical realms (John 17:4-5), and making Him worthy of the worship and praise of everyone in the world, bringing ultimate glory to God in the process.
Father, I can easily see how Jesus’ life was a powerful model for all of us. He was never seeking His own glory but lived a completely humble life that was wholly submitted to You in every area. He left all that He had behind to do Your will, and did it completely, even though it meant sacrifice, humiliation, and death. And that is how we are to serve You as well. Sometimes You do call us away from all we have known to go where we are needed. You call us to put aside our plans and dreams, and to take up our own cross alongside Jesus (Mark 8:34). You call us to obey You completely so that You can empower and strengthen us for the path ahead. And, when we do that, when we give up on trying to raise ourselves up in the eyes of the world, You raise us up – not to the same degree as Jesus, of course. But You do tell each of us who have devoted our whole lives to You, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25, 21, 23) Lord, help me to live this out in my own life, so that You are glorified in my every thought, word and deed. Amen.