Have Christ’s Mind
Philippians 2:5-11
March 29, 2026 anno Domini
Three weeks ago, in the Gospel reading Jesus healed a mute man. Then He was accused of being demon possessed. In response Jesus told a little parable about a strong man guarding his house, but then a stronger man enters the strong man’s house, overcomes him, and takes his treasures. Jesus is talking about Himself entering the Devil’s stronghold, and taking the Devil’s treasure – taking you.
Leading up to Palm Sunday Jesus has been entering the strong man’s house and taking his treasure. In John 8, Jesus is in the temple, and the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery. Jesus disarms the Devil and his minions with His grace – whoever is without sin cast the first stone. They all leave – and Jesus is left with their treasure – the woman. And to her he says, “Neither do I condemn you, go, and from now on sin no more.
In Luke 19 as Jesus was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, He goes into the house of Zacchaeus, the IRS agent. Zacchaeus would have fit right in to Minnesota – He was defrauding the people and the government – collecting more taxes than required and pocketing the difference. But when God comes into your house you change. And Zacchaeus did. The holiness and mercy of God in the flesh was stronger than Zacchaeus’ desire to sin. “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8) The Lord took Zacchaeus life savings but saved Zacchaeus.
In John 11, immediately before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Saint John tells us that Jesus entered the house of Mary and Martha in Bethany. The strong man of death was living in that house. Lazarus had died and was now in his tomb four days. At the moment of death there might have been hope for resuscitation, but four days dead is really dead. Jesus enters into that house and robs death of its treasure. He raises Lazarus from the dead, orders the grave clothes to be removed, and sets Lazarus free.
Today Jesus enters Jerusalem. As we go to the Lord’s Supper, we will join the Palm Sunday crowd singing “Hosanna. Save us Lord. Now. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” You might remember the old prayer Christians prayed coming to the Lord’s Table – “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Today, by His Supper, by His Word, by His forgiveness Jesus would enter you. Has it made a difference?
Because His coming is not pleasant at first.
Do you think that woman caught in adultery wanted to be dragged into the temple before a great Rabbi?
Zacchaeus wanted a glimpse of Jesus but what must it have been like to have Jesus seeing all the stolen treasures in his house?
And Mary and Martha were none too happy that Jesus didn’t drop everything when He heard Lazarus was sick. They blamed Him for their brother’s death.
The Palm Sunday crowd was overjoyed to receive Jesus, until they realized He wasn’t coming to rule the Romans, but to rule their hearts.
Has the entrance of Christ into the world by His incarnation, into Jerusalem to suffer and die, into heaven as the risen and ascended Lord, and ultimately into your heart by faith – has it made a difference in your house?
In today’s Epistle reading, St. Paul tells us that that it should. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ is a real event in human history. Paul lays it out for us, as clearly as the Gospel record. Jesus was God in the flesh, but He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. The King James Version gives us this interesting translation, “He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.”
The Son is equal to the Father in His Godhead, but He didn’t seek His own glory. He didn’t take from His Father the glory and honor that would come at the end of His saving work. In the mystery of the Trinity there is an order – the Son is begotten of the Father. The Son is under the Father somehow. So the Son obeys the Father, yet the Father and Son are equal in their Divinity.
Like Father, like Son – the Father did not use His Divinity for Himself, but to create the world, to give humanity everything we needed to live. He loved us with life.
The Son did not serve Himself, but He emptied Himself, … taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. We celebrated that event this past week. March 25 was the Annunciation, only nine months to Christmas. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He emptied Himself. That word “empty” is only used here in the New Testament – which makes sense. There is no comparable event to this. The Son of God left the honor and praise of the angels and the glory and might of His heavenly throne, to be born of Mary, in your likeness, a human. But then He emptied Himself even more. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Who has to obey death? Certainly not the holy and righteous Son of God. You have to obey death. I have to obey death. When death calls you and I will have no choice but to obey. Why? Because the law of God says so. The wages of sin is death. You sin you die. If you’re not dying, you’re not a sinner. So that tells you how Christ emptied Himself. He obeyed His Father and submitted to death. He had no sin, but became sin for you. He said, “I’ll take your sins and die for them.” The Jews didn’t kill Jesus. The Romans didn’t kill Jesus. Jesus humbled Himself, being obedient to His Father, to death. Jesus went to death, letting death take Him instead of taking you. For your sins He died.
There’s nothing else like that in the whole world. This week marks the most significant event in human history. Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, died for the sin of the world. Nothing compares to that. If you don’t believe me, ask the Father. See how God the Father reacted to His Son’s humble obedience. He “highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Everybody knows the name of Jesus. Even though the world’s celebrations are feeble and filled with the folly of Santa Claus and Easter bunnies, the world remembers the birth of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.
Nothing compares to this – the Son of God emptied Himself, becoming a man, taking your sin, being obedient to death – and here’s the clincher – for you. Not for Himself, not for His glory, but for you, for your forgiveness, for your salvation, for your life, for your resurrection, for your hope and your future.
Now back to my question. Has it made a difference in your life? Do you have the mind of Christ as a husband or wife, parent or child? When you look at what God has given you are you willing to empty yourself and take the form of a servant? Are you willing to endure suffering now and wait on God’s exaltation? If not – repent. If so – thanks be to God. In the name of Jesus. Amen.