Even Death On A Cross!

             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! (Philippians 2:5-8 NIV)

              Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB)

 

                There are two translations of the same passage provided above because I learned the passage in the NASB, which tends to be a closer “word-to-word” translation, but most of my reading now is in NIV because it’s more widely used in my circles. Some are irritated by multiple versions and claim that’s a reason to dismiss Christianity, but if you read both several times, you’ll see that there isn’t a real difference between them. As someone once said, it’s like two people describing the machine they see in the sky. One says it’s a jet. The other, that it is a plane. They have technical differences, but they serve the same function and look alike enough to be at least of the same family.

            As we look at the passage in either translation, the thing that strikes me today is “even death on a cross.” Today, the idea of death on the cross doesn’t hold quite the negative associations it did when the passage was written. Through the ages, because Jesus died on the cross in our place, and as a result, we can be saved – death on the cross developed an almost romantic dignity to it.

            For the people of Jesus and Paul’s days, however, death on the cross was the manner of execution reserved for those for whom all other forms of execution were “too good.” The closest equivalent I can think of is death in a German or Soviet concentration camp, and we’re Nazis and Communists. Even serial killers and mass murderers don’t get it. Things that are not now and have never been granted the status of “Human” get it. Traitors to all that we know to be good are those who got crucified.

            And yet, Paul suggested that we should be willing to be or become humble by becoming obedient to the point of the most ignominious, humiliating death imaginable to us for the benefit of others. According to what I’ve read, some made it a point of pride to die in the name of Christ. But that’s not what’s described here. Jesus struggled with not wanting to face the humiliation and pain of the cross. It was His means of doing His Father’s will and saving us. What Paul called the Ephesians and us to do involves facing things we don’t want to meet, including torture and death in a concentration camp for the eternal sake and benefit of others. It’s not about glory. It’s not about the blessing of being called to die in some symbolically glorious way for a glorious cause. It’s about being willing to give up all you treasure and all your glory and still love others.