Apr 06 2007
Easter Life
Paul describes Easter different than most people:
“He gave up his divine privileges…” Phil. 2:7
It describes the crucifixion of the Christ, and how ironic it is: they killed the author of life. He had eternal life, but exchanged it freely for death. He is the King of Kings with indisputable rights, but He gave up all those rights. As Americans, we’re educated to be rights-aware and we guard our rights desperately. Paul wrote this in a different time and culture, but there it is for Americans, too: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (vs. 5). It’s radical and it torpedoes the American Dream, but still God wants us to “regard one another as more important than yourselves.” (v.3)
But the resurrection of Christ proclaims the victory of sacrificial love: “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (v.11) This Victorious Love is a new life of freedom from desperately guarding our rights, but even more, it’s a victorious life which everyone will confess one day is right and good and brilliant, “to the glory of God the Father.”
Why did Jesus do it? That’s the real question. I’ve heard answers like, “because it’s a more fulfilling life,” or “to have eternal relationships with us,” or, “He was ordered to do it,” or “To show us what sacrifice means.” All these answers ignore the fact that Jesus was already God. He was already very fulfilled, already loved, needed no more company from us, was already fulfilled in every manner, and he did it entirely by free choice.
Why did Jesus do it?
