Fresh Start Devotionals

Emptied Philip. 2:5–11 NASB “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, [11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The Apostle Paul penned these words to teach his readers a lesson about humility, but in the process, teaches us a great deal about Jesus Christ. In the incarnation, Jesus “emptied Himself,.” Paul said. That’s an unusual phrase—what does it mean? What did Jesus “empty Himself” of? In the previous verses, Paul establishes what we already know, that Jesus was God. And in the verses that follow, Paul mentions that Jesus is Lord. He is the one that every knee bows to and that every tongue confesses as Lord. So we know that Jesus didn’t divest Himself of His divinity or Lordship. There has never been a time when Jesus wasn’t God. Not in time and not in eternity. He was active in creation, and He will be active in judgement. He is the eternal God, the second person in the trinity. He is the fairest of ten thousand, the bright and morning star. He is Lord! He is Lord! He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord. He is worthy of worship and worthy of praise. He is the alpha and the omega. He bore our sin. The King eternal, “emptied himself” to become man. I know that you are expecting an answer to the question, “what did Jesus empty Himself of” in this paragraph, and I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know. Some questions don’t need to be answered, they just needed to be pondered. Though I don’t know what He gave up to become man—I know that He did it willingly, and I know that one of the reasons I am filled with hope today, is because He emptied Himself then. Take a minute to think about it. God became man and dwelt among us. Knowing what He gave up to do so isn’t as important as knowing that He did it-knowing that He did it for you. And me. Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).