Philippians 2:6–11
At Christmas we reflect on our Lord Jesus Christ — on who He is and on what He has done for us. To us He is Lord, Savior, King, and much else besides; but what I want us to focus on today is His role as high priest and intercessor, and especially on how His incarnation serves the fulfillment of that intercessory ministry.
What does it mean to intercede for someone? It means to stand in for them. In standing in for someone, you bind yourself to them, you associate yourself with them before the one to whom you intercede. When we intercede, we put ourselves in the place of the one for whom we intercede.
In Exodus, Moses interceded for the Israelites when they sinned by making the golden calf. God wanted to destroy them and raise up a new nation from Moses himself, but Moses pleaded with God to forgive them:
32 But now, please forgive their sin — but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written. (Exodus 32:32)
This biblical example demonstrates the supreme act of intercession — Moses was ready to sacrifice his own position, and even his own life, for the people he loved. This reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. Christ came to this earth to intercede for us and even to become a sacrifice for us. To do this, He identified with us, becoming one of us.
THE ETERNITY OF CHRIST
Christ’s intercession began with His identifying with us, with those for whom He became intercessor. In Philippians 2:6–8 we read of the changes that took place with Him as a result of this identification, which we call the incarnation.
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6–8)
When we speak of the birth of our Savior, we must be clear that He did not begin His life at His conception or His birth. Even before He was born, He existed — and He existed in the highest possible form: He “was in very nature God.” What does it mean to be in the form of God? It means that you are God. Jesus Christ is God. He was God before He was born, He was born as God, and He will remain God after the resurrection. This does not mean He is a God separate from God the Father or from God the Holy Spirit. No. Father, Son, and Spirit are one God — one God in three persons.
The prophecy of His birth says the same (Micah 5:2):
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)
What does it mean that the origin of the Messiah is “from ancient times”? It means that He is eternal.
Jesus existed before John the Baptist. Although physically Jesus was born after John, as God He was before him. This was John’s testimony concerning Him (John 1:15):
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) (John 1:15)
Jesus existed before Abraham. Although physically He was born hundreds of years after him, as God He was before Abraham. Jesus Himself said this (John 8:58):
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)
As God, Jesus existed not only before John the Baptist and not only before Abraham; He existed before creation itself. In John 17:5 Jesus begins His high-priestly prayer with the words:
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:5)
Jesus not only existed “before the world began”; He was clothed with the glory of God before the creation of the world.
Jesus Christ existed not only before the prophets, before the patriarchs, before creation — He existed even before the creation of the spiritual beings. In Colossians 1:15 the apostle Paul says:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15)
“The firstborn over all creation” — Jesus is eternal, He is God. This is so important that the evangelist John begins his Gospel with this very truth, speaking of the beginning and of the eternal essence of Christ (John 1:1):
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
“The Word” in this sentence is not letters, it is not literature, it is not even spirituality. “The Word,” “the Logos,” is Jesus Christ. We could read this sentence by replacing “the Word” with “Jesus Christ”: “In the beginning was Jesus Christ; and Jesus Christ was with God; and Jesus Christ was God.”
To underscore His deity, John continues (John 1:2–3):
2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:2–3)
Christ is not merely “from the beginning,” He is not merely “eternal” — He is the Creator, the author of everything that exists.
THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST
And so, as God, before He was born on this earth, Christ was eternal. He was not only eternal — He was glorious, He was one of the persons of the Trinity. But He did not remain in that state. He gave up the role of Master. He gave up His glory. He gave up all His privileges and chose to become a servant. On this earth, Jesus was born in a stable, a place for the keeping of animals. Being God, Christ became man — and not only man, but a man-servant.
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6–8)
In verse 6 and the beginning of verse 7 we see three phrases that describe Christ’s state, His attitude, and His decision. His state was — “in very nature God.” His attitude was one of humility — He “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage,” which He obviously possessed. His decision was to give up all that He had and possessed in order to serve God’s redemptive purpose for the sake of our salvation — He “made himself nothing.”
In verses 7–8 we read how Christ carried out this decision of His. Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, took “the very nature of a servant,” was “made in human likeness,” and was “found in appearance as a man.”
Jesus gave up the form of God in which He was and took upon Himself the “appearance of a man.” This act, of God becoming man, we call “the incarnation.” Through the incarnation, Jesus Christ became the God-man. Why did Christ do this? He did it in order to identify with us. Why? In order to redeem us from our sins by becoming a sacrifice for us.
Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah in his conversation with God. Moses interceded for his people in prayer. The centurion interceded for his servant, asking Jesus to use His divine authority and simply to command the healing of his servant. Job interceded for the healing of his friends. But for our intercession, for our redemption, mere prayer was not enough. A sacrifice was needed. In order to make this sacrifice, Christ became the sacrificial lamb and offered Himself for us. The apostle Paul describes this with the following three phrases in verse 8:
- he humbled himself
- and became obedient to death,
- even death on a cross.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8)
To do this, Christ became incarnate and was born on this earth as Jesus of Nazareth. The act of the incarnation John describes this way (John 1:14):
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Notice — Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, “became flesh.” Jesus Christ became one of us. The author of the letter to the Hebrews describes this event this way:
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. (Hebrews 2:5)
The “world to come” of which we are speaking is the new heaven and the new earth, the kingdom of God in which righteousness will dwell. This world to come God was pleased to subject not to the angels. To whom, then? To us, to human beings.
6 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? 7 You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor 8 and put everything under their feet.” (Hebrews 2:6–8)
Here the author of the letter to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 8 and points out that God has given all His authority over His creation not to the angels but to human beings. At present we do not yet see that this has come to pass, but we do see how it will come to pass, and Who will bring it about (Hebrews 2:8–9):
8 In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:8–9)
Although He was perfect even before this, through His death for us on the cross Jesus was perfected still further. Not that He became more sinless, for He was sinless before this as well. But that in which He was perfected was to experience all that human beings experience (suffering, temptation, and even death), and so to have even greater mercy (empathy) and fellow-feeling toward us.
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:10)
Who is “God, for whom and through whom everything exists”? God the Father. Who are the “many sons and daughters” whom He is “bringing to glory”? We are. Who is “the pioneer of our salvation”? Jesus. How does God the Father make Jesus perfect? Through the sufferings that He allowed Him to endure.
11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11)
Who is the one “who makes people holy” in this verse? Jesus — our high priest and Lord. Who are “those who are made holy”? We are. The “same family” they come from is God the Father, who created us; we also come from Adam, from whom we were all born. Therefore, as the Messiah, Jesus is not ashamed to call us “brothers and sisters”! The Lord Jesus is not only our God — He is our brother!
12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” (Hebrews 2:12)
Here Jesus quotes Psalm 22:22 and Psalm 68:26.
13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” (Hebrews 2:13)
Here Jesus quotes Isaiah 8:17 and Isaiah 8:18.
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — (Hebrews 2:14)
Jesus’ sharing “in their humanity” in this verse is His incarnation, through which He became part of us, became a human being, became our brother. This incarnation of His, this “taking upon Himself the appearance of a man,” made it possible for Him to die. But His death on the cross was not a defeat — it was a victory!
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:15)
This is the effect of Christ’s death — freedom from fear, freedom from slavery. Jesus is our brother, who brings us victory over death — this is what we celebrate at Christmas. But in order to receive the victory that Christ won for us, we must believe in Him.
16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. (Hebrews 2:16)
Why does the author of the letter to the Hebrews say here that Jesus helps “Abraham’s descendants,” and not “all people”? Who are “Abraham’s descendants”? In Galatians 3:7 the apostle Paul says:
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)
17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:17–18)
Do you understand what happened through the coming of the Savior to this earth? On the one hand, He entered a position from which He can help us. On the other hand, in the process He was perfected and became better prepared for the ministry He has — a ministry of priesthood and intercession, which requires fellow-feeling. Hebrews 4:14–16 says:
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16)
Sometimes in the Orthodox and Catholic churches there are those who teach that we should pray not to Jesus but to Mary or to the saints — because Jesus is God, perfect but unreachable, whereas Mary is a human being, a woman and a mother, who can understand us better, especially women. But such a teaching stands in complete contradiction to the Word of God. Being incarnate, having become one of us, Jesus understands us — completely. Yes, He is God, but He is also our “brother.” He experienced all the needs that we experience — hunger, thirst, cold. He knows all of this. Temptations? Jesus was tempted with every temptation you can think of, and He withstood them all. He knows what it is to lose a friend. He even tasted death. That is why He alone can understand us completely, and He alone can help us. Therefore we must pray not to His mother or to the saints, but to the Father in the name of Jesus.
Through His incarnation, Jesus accomplished what was necessary for His intercession, for His high-priestly ministry. But He did not stop there. He went on giving up His rights, to the point where He gave up even His life.
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6–8)
Why did Christ do all of this? For us, for me. I cannot but be moved by this love, this humility, this sacrifice He made for me, and for all of us. If you too are moved by our Lord, do not remain indifferent, do not remain passive. Invite Him into your heart, surrender your life to Him. He is seeking you, He is waiting for you, He wants you to be with Him in eternity. He came to give you victory over death, to give you eternal life. Receive these gifts by placing your trust in Him.
THE VINDICATION OF CHRIST
The good news is that Jesus did not remain in the grave. He rose again, He ascended, and God the Father gave Him all authority and honor in the world. In the second part of our hymn we read (Philippians 2:9–11):
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9–11)
If in verses 6–8 we read of the lowering of Christ and His self-humbling, in verses 9–11 we read of His restoration, and even His “exaltation” to a position of all-authority over the whole world. The first three phrases describe God’s response to Christ’s perfect humility and obedience:
- “God exalted him”
- gave Him a name
- a name that is above every other name
The next three phrases in verses 10–11 describe the purpose for which God did all of this:
- “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” — that He might rule over all beings, in every existing realm.
- “and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” — Jesus Christ is Lord! This is our confession, our praise to our Brother and Redeemer.
- “to the glory of God the Father” — God exalted Jesus for the purpose of worship: worship of Jesus Christ and worship of the Father Himself.
Christ’s exaltation placed Him in a position in which He can serve as our high priest and intercessor. In Hebrews 8:1 the author of the letter to the Hebrews says:
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. (Hebrews 8:1–2)
In order for someone to be an intercessor and to intercede, he must be close not only to the one for whom he intercedes, but also to the one before whom he intercedes. As high priest and intercessor, Christ is close not only to us — He is close also to God the Father, to whom we pray, the One who sits on the throne of the Majesty in heaven. Of course, as we have already said, He was there even before His incarnation; but now He is there not only as God, but also as the Man raised from the dead, as our brother.