The Blessed One, Servant and Son

Paul’s letters are not abstract theological treatises but practical communications meant for a particular place with a particular context. We do not know the exact details of all the situations to which Paul writes, but it seems clear that the Philippians are experiencing conflict among strong-minded parties.

Paul urges the Christians in Philippi to put aside their desire to have their own way and instead to develop a Christlike outlook. Then Paul quotes a hymn, one his audience likely knows. In cosmic imagery, this hymn praises the pre-existent Christ, the eternal second person of the Trinity who exists before the Incarnation. Christ, says the hymn, “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” (niv) but instead remains humble as a servant.

The prologue to John’s Gospel alludes to this idea of a pre-existent Christ. Pre-existence is a complex proposition; it is abstract and metaphysical. Why, then, do we read this passage as we prepare for Holy Week’s real, concrete portrayal of a human Jesus suffering a human death?

The hymn of Philippians seems to perfectly illustrate the paradox of Incarnation: that Christ, as perfectly divine, could have avoided the humiliation of arrest and execution. But in his choice to be human, Jesus takes on a role that leaves him vulnerable, mortal, and susceptible to harm. Allowing this harm to befall himself is a powerful statement of God’s concern for and solidarity with all those who suffer. Paul shows us Christ with two aspects: human and divine, son and servant. Given that example, how do we approach the paradox of humanity? How do we find the mind, the outlook, the sense of purpose Jesus holds?