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“The Kind of King You Are”

By Angel Muñoz

A Reading: Philippians 2: 5-11 (NRSV)

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father

Reflection:

Imagine with me that Paul’s pen strokes are brushstrokes and that this Scripture is not a text but a painting. What do you see in the crucified body of Jesus? Do you see divinity? Do you see majesty and power? What does the sight communicate? Does it stir you, console you, or disturb you?

Our testimony announces that God empties sin and death of their power here. Hear the good news: Christ’s death on the cross provides for the forgiveness of our sins and the world’s renewal!

Having said this, as much as we cherish this truth, familiarity with this narrative can blunt the strangeness, even the offensiveness, of the sight. It is strange because this willingness to submit to such a humiliating death defies expectations of what any king, let alone God, should act like; it is offensive because it overthrows our worldly notions of power and its proper exercise.

In Paul’s day, Rome embodied power.

During the Jewish exile, Babylon embodied power.

In Moses’ day, Egypt embodied power.

And power defined according to the imperial model is seized, secured through violence, and maintained by it.

Speaking against this deceitful narrative, Jesus reminds his disciples—he reminds us: “Not so with you.”

Empire thrives off cruelty and sustains itself by making people footstools, but in the kingdom, power is completed in love and witnessed in humble service. As we consider the image of Christ we find in these verses, may we be startled by the difference between his example and our common understandings of power. May we also be comforted by the knowledge that Jesus reigns forever and that his kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, the mourning, and the servant who labors for a peace that all benefit from.

Breath Prayer

Breathe In: Fill me with your power

Breathe Out: Free me for your service

Amen.