“But Also”
Philippians 2: 1-13
10/1/23, World communion
When I was in Western Pennsylvania, I served for a number of years on our Presbytery’s Committee on Preparation for Ministry. Our charge was to shepherd those looking to go into the ordained ministry through the process of being an inquirer, then a candidate and finally certified ready to receive a call to serve a church. It’s usually at least a three year process, but it can take longer depending on the candidate.
I remember meeting with this one candidate in particular. She had been in the process for two years, she was strong academically and theologically articulate. But the committee had concerns about her leadership style. Some members felt that she came across as too submissive and lacked a strong back bone. I won’t deny that there may have been some sexist overtones there, this was about 20 years ago, but the bottom line was that the committee felt that if we approved her ready to receive a call, she would get chewed up in the local church. We wanted to see this candidate show some self-confidence.
So at our next meeting with her, we pressed her a bit on this, we asked her “What are some of your strengths? What are good at?” This was clearly a difficult and uncomfortable question for her. After some back and forth, she said that she didn’t think it would be appropriate to assert herself and point out what she was good at because it felt like bragging and the bible emphasizes the need for humility – and she cited this passage, along with others to make her argument. Showing confidence and asserting herself would be putting her interests above others – so she just couldn’t see herself doing that.
I could understand her point, but I don’t think Paul was encouraging us to be doormats and let people walk all over us in the name of humility either. So there must be some middle ground here somewhere regarding humility.
That’s clearly the topic of the day as Psalm 25 makes reference to the Lord leading the humble. And then Paul continues his counsel to the Church in Philippi, challenging his new church members to make his joy complete by:
- Being of the same mind,
- Having the same love,
- And being in full accord and of one mind.
Now, if you think on those for a minute, they might start to sound a bit off-putting. A little too much like a cult, perhaps. It sounds like Paul wants us to agree with each other on everything and put on a happy face all the time. Like the Christian community should just parrot back the same rote responses to everything.
But isn’t really what Paul is doing here. Keep in mind that Paul is speaking about living together as a church. And as we know – that’s not always easy. Disagreements happen. We are not always of the same mind on every topic, in fact, we rarely are. We look at things differently. We don’t all love the same things or the same people.
Paul knew this. And he was writing to group of people he knew very well. He had taught them himself. He knew their strengths – and he knew their shortcomings. He knew they would have disagreements. Maybe he’d already gotten word of some problems brewing. Perhaps he knew there was some trouble being swept under the rug.
For instance, consider the experience of a small congregation that decided it was finally time to do something about the floor in their Fellowship Hall. Everyone agreed the floor needed to be fixed – but the sticking point was what would it look like afterward. The most expensive option was to replace the floor with high-quality wood and have it professionally finished. Some others wanted to use cheaper wood and put tile down instead. But someone pointed out that the cheapest option was to put down plywood and carpet the floor. Most were inclined to agree with the carpeting, until a long-time stood up and said, “If we put carpet down on this floor it will be over my dead body.”
That comment hung in the air for a bit until someone said, just above a whisper – “Well, that sure will leave a big bump.” (1)
Disagreements can get out of control pretty quickly, and it can leave to a bumpy ride for everybody.
So Paul tries to root what he sees as a potential problem, a bump in the carpet, right at the beginning of this young community’s life as a church.
He encourages them to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”
These are the words that really tripped up our young candidate for ministry. Her reaction to Paul’s words was to think of herself as worthless. To her, worthless and humility were very closely related. That’s an easy mistake to make. But the truth is, we all have value, none of us are worthless – the real meaning in Paul’s words is to appreciate the value that others have as well. Being humble does not mean you are worthless. Being humble is to acknowledge that others have worth as well.
I like the story the well-known biblical scholar N.T. Wright tells about going to lunch with a friend of his. This friend had organized a luncheon for about 20 or 30 people – some of whom were quite well-known public figures. As his friend said grace at the start of the meal, he said, “Remember: the most interesting person in this room is the one you’re sitting next to.” Multiply that to the level of your congregation, and you’ll be pretty close to what Paul is talking about here. (2)
It’s interesting to note that many Greek texts of Philippians include a crucial word in verse 4 that doesn’t appear in some English translations – including the NRSV that we usually read from. It’s a small word, but it changes Paul’s meaning significantly. The word is most often translated “also.”
When you include the word “also” in verse 4, you get something close to: “Each of you not considering your own interests BUT ALSO the interests of each of the others.” That takes the possibility of mis-interpreting a bit more out-of-play. Paul’s words aren’t meant to put ourselves down, but to take into account others as well as ourselves.
The truth is, we live in a world where some of us – often those privileged by various power structures – have been socialized to look out too much for own interests at the expense of others. Most of the time we don’t even realize we’re doing it. But what Paul talks about is becoming a truly harmonious community – a community of comfort, encouragement, consolation and strength. And that calls for balance – each one looking to other’s needs while also not ignoring their own. (3)
Paul then goes on to use Jesus as an example of the kind of self-emptying attitude he’s talking about. Using the words to what many scholars think is an ancient Christian hymn, Paul encourages us to have “the same mind 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.”
Upon hearing that final phrase, I’m sure there were audible gasps from the first-century crowd. It would not have been shocking to Gentiles to hear that their God had chosen to take on human form. They had heard such stories before about Zeus and Hermes, among others. Usually the Gods would take human form because they were bored, they wanted to get out and have a little fun. And sometimes their reasons were a bit more lustful. But to be told that their God had chosen to become a slave among humans – that was a very different story, a shocking story because it deconstructed everything they thought was written in stone about the hierarchical nature of reality and relationships and about all their honor and shame codes. It was one thing to have a Saturnalia, when slaves became masters and vice-versa for a day. It was another matter entirely to suggest that one equal to God (and not just any god, but the one true God) came in person to earth and chose to become a slave and live his whole life that way, including the manner of his death. (4)
For Paul, this is what self-emptying looks like – not that we make ourselves nothing, as some English versions translate verse 7, but that we empty ourselves both of arrogance and of self-belittlement. That those of us tempted toward narcissism are met with loving accountability from our communities. And those of us tempted to think our own needs aren’t important find joy and fellowship with those who consider our concerns essential. It is a case of But Also.
For why did Jesus do this – take on human form? Was it for the glory, because he wanted to be exalted above every name? No, Jesus took on human form to show us God’s mercy, not God’s justice.
In 1988, a few days before Christmas, you probably remember the Pan Am flight that was blown up over the Scottish village of Lockerbie. 243 passengers were killed and 19 crew members, and another 11 people on the ground were killed.
It was determined that a bomb had been planted in the cargo hold and when it exploded it punched a 20-inch hole I the left side of the plane – the plane broke into three pieces and plummeted to the ground.
After a three-year investigation, two Libyans were charged with the bombing. But the Libyan dictator, Mummar Gaddafi, refused to extradite the two men. It was another 10 years before he bowed to international pressure and the two men stood trial in an international court.
One defendant was found innocent. The other, a Libyan intelligence office named Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, since the UK does not have the death penalty.
He began serving his time, and the world’s attention went elsewhere. That is, until 2009, when Scottish authorities unexpectedly released Megrahi from prison on “humanitarian grounds.” He was dying from prostate cancer and was said to have 6 months to live. But he actually lived three more years before succumbing to his disease.
As you might imagine, the decision of Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill was met with a furious reaction from all around the world. How dare the Scottish authorities pardon this mass murderer? This did not seem like justice at all.
But it wasn’t a pardon, MacAskill responded. He still considered Megrahi guilty – as guilty as he’d been the first day he walked into prison. The basis for his decision said MacAskill, was not justice – it was mercy. (5)
On this World Communion Sunday, Jesus invites us to the table once again, to receive not justice, but mercy. So let us come to the Table of grace with our own interests at heart, but also with the interests of others as well.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Jeff Wedge, “Complete Joy”, Sermons on the Second Readings, CSS Publishing Inc., 2004, p 363.
2. Homileticsonline, retrieved 9/15/23.
3. Liz Cooledge Jenkins, The Christian Century, October 2023, p24.
4. Homileticsonline…Ibid.
5. Homileticsonline…Ibid.
