The Servant’s Towel & The King’s Throne

Philippians 2:5-11 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 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.

Though we may know many people who have a humble personality (Mahatma Gandhi, William Carey, Mother Teresa, etc.), the example of Christ in humility surpasses them all. We too may have faced humiliating situations at our workplace, or among our family/friend circles. But if Jesus, who humbled himself to go to the nether world, was exalted by God to the highest place, we surely have hope for our lives! No matter how great and terrible your fall may be, God can lift you up from the guttermost to the uttermost!

Isaiah 59:1 (NLT)- Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

Philippians 2:5-11 is the most moving passage Paul has ever written about Jesus.
Christ is the supreme example for humility. His attitude is an attitude of humility. The essence of the life of Jesus is humility. His humility is unparalleled and unique. His humility is not fully comprehensive to our minds. 

Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Lord Jesus humbled himself in 7 steps:
1. He set aside His divine form (v.6) although He did not cease to be God. When He was on Earth, He was still God. One cannot change His nature. A man is always a man. An animal is always an animal. Only the form can be changed. Jesus was and is and will always be God. Only His form changed when He came into this world. 
John 1:1,2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Colossians 1:15 - The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Hebrews 1:3 - The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

While Jesus was here on Earth, He was God, He was the Son of God, He was having the nature of God, He was one with God, He was equal with God - we can see such descriptive words in the Bible. 

2. He did not hold onto His equality with God. He gave up all the privileges as God- the majesty, the worship, the honour. We humans would never want to leave the position and the privileges that we have. People usually cling to positions.  The devil tried to grab God’s position. Jesus gave His position and lowered Himself.

3. He made Himself nothing. He emptied Himself. He came out of the eternal, spiritual, heavenly realm to the temporary, physical, earthly realm. He gave up all reputation. Jesus, like emptying a pot of water, emptied, until nothing was left.

4. He was made in human likeness. He was not a human, but He became human for a period. This shows His deliberate entry into human history. In other words, He changed His dress. Man was created in the image and likeness of God; whereas Jesus, who is God Himself, took up the image and likeness of man while on Earth. 

Hebrews 2:9 - But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

You may have heard of the "Peasant King" story which highlights a king's selfless act of living among his people to better understand their struggles and experiences, demonstrating empathy and a desire to serve them more effectively.

Jesus, being the King of Kings, set aside his divine form and became one among us, so that through Him, we may live in His standards. He stepped out of the throne to step into our place.

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