LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Stripped and Humbled
"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:7-8).
The descent of the Son of God, from his throne of glory to the cross, is an astonishing act, perhaps the most astonishing of all.
He, having a divine nature, perfect, free from all stain, weakness or error; having the glory of God, and before whom the heavenly creatures trembled and prostrated themselves, being the radiance of the glory of God and the very image of his substance, the firstborn of all creation, and who sustained all things with the word of his power; being the One by whom and for whom all things had been made, being all that and more, he did not cling on to it so as not to come down; instead, he stripped himself of it.
How much did it mean to him, having to be stripped of it all? It is not possible for us to know. The only one who knew fully is the Father, and that is why he loved him so much; that is why He couldn't help saying, over and over, that in Him, He had perfect contentment. The deity's most intimate way of being was expressed perfectly by the Son.
But that's not all. When he had stripped himself of everything imaginable, he was in the conditions to be a man. It was really like going down into the abyss! By the way, if he had wanted it, he could have been the most handsome man, the most idolized, served, and admired. However, we see him humbling himself, obeying everything -as if he were not God- until death.
See him descending to the most extreme form of obedience, where humanity is most helpless, and gives the greatest rebuke to the crooked heart of man. But there's still more. How was he to die? Their departure from this world is something that concerns men. Everyone wants a "good death". Oh! He certainly did not have it, because the most brutal and hellish form that has ever been invented, was precisely the one that was chosen for him: death on the cross.