| September 25 , 2005 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Proper 21 Commentary by Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki |
See also: [2008] [2002] |
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32
Philippians
2:1-13
In many ways this Philippians text is the ground and supposition of
the three Matthean texts we have considered thus far in the September
lectionary. The texts from Matthew 18 and 20 both spoke of the community
of Christ, first in the sense of being a community of forgiveness, and
then, in chapter 20, a community of grace. Christ is the norm of the
community. And here in Philippians, the normativity of Christ is spelled
out for us.
Notice that the basis of the high Christological statements of verses 6-11 is the consolation, fellowship, affection, and compassion of the Spirit of Christ. As those called to live within Christ’s enfolding consolation, fellowship, affection, and compassion, we are empowered to embody these qualities in our personal and corporate lives together. Thus Paul enjoins us to have the attitude of Christ (consolation, fellowship, affection, compassion) in our own lives. He is our norm, our highest calling and our deepest empowerment toward this calling. With this given, we are then told that these very qualities that serve as our norm and our calling are the qualities of God in Christ.
Consider the awesomeness of this. Consolation, fellowship, affection, and compassion are the everyday qualities that define us as a community of caring people. They are humble qualities, such that we almost would sooner find them in cottages than in palaces! That is, these aren’t the kinds of words—or qualities—that we ordinarily assign to those in high office. “Magisterial,” “regal,” and words such as these are far more likely to be associated with those in high office than these more ordinary qualities. But the text tells us that precisely the opposite is the case. For Christ, “equality with God” meant becoming a bond-servant, humble, obedient to the love of God even at the cost of death. It entailed giving consolation, drawing into fellowship, generating affection, exercising compassion—and surely the gospels underscore these qualities of Christ again and again and again. And these are the very qualities of God. “Therefore God highly exalted him.” The highest becomes lowest, and the lowest is made highest.
The text gives us this Christological doxology not simply that we might draw back in awe at the mightiness of Christ. Far to the contrary: the text gives us this Christology so that we might know the God we serve, living those same qualities in our own communal ways. We are to “work out our own salvation”—and salvation, in this context, is precisely a life lived after Christ’s own consolation, fellowship, affection, and compassion—in fear and trembling, knowing that the God who IS these qualities is working with us toward our own growth. We are empowered, moment by moment, toward such faithful living.
Thus
the high Christology of Philippians 2 is to draw us toward “lowly”
qualities epitomized by love. Such love—consoling, leading to
fellowship, caring, compassionate—is the very love that is the nature of
God.
Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki is Professor Emerita, Claremont School of Theology, and the author of several books, including Divinity and Diversity, God Christ Church, and In God's Presence. She is the executive director of Process & Faith and a co-director of the Center for Process Studies.
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