Living the story of Jesus
A devotional by Leo Ranzolin
It was 60 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, and the apostle Paul sat in a Roman prison. Knowing he would need provisions, the church at Philippi sent Epaphroditus, one of Paul’s co-workers, with a generous gift of support. The gift reminded Paul of the friendship and fellowship he shared with the Philippians, his “brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown . . . my beloved” (Phil 4:1). No other church had this shared friendship, affection, and generosity with Paul.
For a bit of back story, the Philippian church was founded in very difficult circumstances during Paul’s mission there. When he proclaimed the gospel in that city, he was accused by its citizens of “disturbing our city . . . of advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” As a result of Paul’s missionary activity, he was arrested, given a severe flogging, and thrown into prison (Acts 16). And so, the Philippian church was brought into being through hardship, suffering, and persecution from the citizens of this Roman colony in the province of Macedonia.
Paul later discovered that hardship, suffering, persecution, and conflicts were still being experienced by members of the church. There were outside opponents — Gentiles who were disturbed by their claims that “Jesus is Savior and Lord, not Caesar” (1:28-30); and Jewish Christians who insist on the rite of circumcision (3:2) — as well as inside struggles among its leadership (4:2-3).
Paul sought to address these problems by writing a letter that articulated a defining mark of Christian character: humble, selfless, sacrificial love in service toward others. He entreated them to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others” (2:3-4). The apostle called this self-effacing attitude humility, which is essentially the mind of Christ (2:5). In order to illustrate the all-time best example of humility, Paul placed at the center of his letter a magnificent poem, the Christ Hymn, which highlights the core elements of the gospel: the preexistence, incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus. The hymn is theologically profound, breathtaking, and mind-stretching in its themes, worthy of being quoted in full:
Though he was in the form of God
He 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 unto 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.
—Philippians 2:6-11
This is the gospel, magnificently captured in a glorious hymn. Paul believed that if the Philippians reenacted in their own lives the story of Jesus’ humble, selfless service toward others, they would be able to combat and solve their external and internal challenges, living a life “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27).
One of Loma Linda University’s core values is humility. We have been called to “put self-importance aside for the greater good of others” and to “live life with a commitment to service.” As we seek to live out this core value of humility in our health science university setting, may we embrace the preeminent model of humility, the Christ Hymn of the letter to the Philippians, which powerfully declares that its unsurpassed expression is found in the story of Jesus.
Those who follow Jesus’ example of humble service will share someday in his vindication and glory at the last resurrection when our “Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (3:20). Thanks be to God.
—Leo Ranzolin, ThD, is dean of the School of Religion.
