It's not about climbing higher.

Jesus had every right to hold onto power. He could have demanded loyalty. He could have stayed in heaven.  But He didn’t.

Instead, He emptied Himself.

The Greek phrase “made himself nothing” (kenosis) literally means “emptied himself.”

I want to address something pretty important theologically here. There’s a notion floating around that Jesus wasn’t always God, or wasn’t equal to God, or that even became less than God as a human. That is NOT what Paul is saying. Paul is holding onto old school, Jewish mono theism, there is only one God, and Jesus is God- always was- and is redefining for the church what God is like. He wasn’t like Caesar, or Alexander the Great, Or Agustus who ruled with violent, degrading, and dehumanizing displays of power. 

He laid down His rights and used his power to serve. 

And if we are going to faithfully follow Jesus, we have to ask: 

What are we holding onto that He’s asking us to lay down?

• Maybe it’s our need to be right.

• Maybe it’s our comfort.

*       Maybe it’s our desire to only be in situations we can control. 

*       Maybe it’s a standard of living. 

• Maybe it’s our entitlement, the belief that we deserve certain things.

We have to ask this question because the way of Jesus isn’t about climbing higher—it’s about humility and very often lowly acts of service for the sake of other- and the glory of God.

For Reflection:

• What are subtle ways we cling to power, status, or recognition?

• How does Jesus challenge that?