Phil 2:⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

I marvel at what Jesus did for us, His humble obedience; abasement and exaltation:  this is the key to understanding the mystery of Jesus; this is the key to penetrating God’s wonderful plan which was fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus’ food was to do the will of His Father, Jn 4:³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. He had come down from heaven, not to accomplish some sort of independent, personal agenda, but to carry out the will of the One who had sent Him, Jn 6: 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.   And that total and loving allegiance to His Father doesn’t stay in the realm of the theoretical.  Jesus’ obedient submission to His Father’s will doesn’t keep Him on Easy Street.  He had received a commandment from His Father to lay His life down, Jn 10:¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” And He was intent on being obedient to the very end.

We see Jesus as God, but sometimes we forget that we cannot separate His humanity from His deity.  His suffering and pain were greater than any we will ever know.  And yet, though grieved to the point of death, He made a choice to obey the Father, demonstrating to us that we too can do even the most difficult things when we live in submission to God.

The Creator was slain by his creation. The shepherd was slain by his sheep.   Talk about obedience unto death! The Creator of life submitted to death.   And here, Paul is saying: This is God. This is what God is like. Rethink everything you have ever thought about God in his power and majesty and watch that dying Man, nailed to a tree, gasping for breath, and see in his death the God of self-giving love.

Paul’s mention of it here reminds us that the cross was more than a painful death. It was also a degrading, humiliating form of execution. Jesus did not die as a hero on a battlefield, but instead died innocently and shamefully in public view outside the city walls of Jerusalem. He was mocked, yet endured scorn as part of God’s plan for His life as a sacrifice for sinners.

The Author of Life humbly submits to death. The One who is without sin humbly submits to sin’s curse. The One who has life within Himself, Jn 1:⁴ In him was life,^[a] — the One who gives life to whomever He wishes, Jn 5:²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.   Jesus, humbly releases His grip on His own life in submission to the Father and in love for those whom His Father has given Him.  The Holy Son of God, the Lord of glory, “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” 

In that day, the cross meant one thing: the most horrific and shameful kind of death. One commentator writes, “The cross displayed the lowest depths of human depravity and cruelty. It exhibited the most brutal form of sadistic torture and execution ever invented by malicious human minds” (Hansen, 157).

Jesus started at the highest place. And then he travelled to the lowest place. Verse 7 says, “He made himself nothing.” The phrase literally means that he emptied himself. He poured himself out in love for you and for me in humble obedience to the Father. He started at the highest place – he was equal to God with all the rights and privileges as God. But he made himself nothing. He gave up those rights and privileges in coming to earth as our Savior.

This doesn’t mean Jesus was just obedient up until the time he died, but that his death was actually part of his obedience. He was obedient even to God’s command to die, to willingly give up his life for others.

Adam disobeyed God and sin entered the world; Jesus obeyed his father and salvation was brought to all humanity. Jesus made obedience and accomplishing his father’s will the central part of his teaching. In uncompromising terms Jesus said that whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister and mother (Mt 12:50).

Knowing Christ costs nothing; but obeying him costs everything.   Abraham obeyed and followed his commandments and was even ready to sacrifice his only son.  What about you?  What is Jesus or the Holy Spirit telling you to let go off?  Are you willing to obey Him unto the end?  Total obedience with no ifs and buts.  We talk about the power of resurrection but there is much power also in obeying God to the very end of that situation, you might be facing. 

 Worship Him as the Lamb of God who was slain, who with His blood purchased men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, who became sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing.