emptying our expectations

Philippians 2:1-11 (JDV)

Philippians 2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of care, if any partnership with the Breath, if any affection and mercy,
Philippians 2:2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same care, united in throat,intent on one purpose.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
Philippians 2:4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.
Philippians 2:7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of a human. And when he had come as a man,
Philippians 2:8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death– even to death on a cross.
Philippians 2:9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow– in the sky realm and on land and under the land –
Philippians 2:11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

emptying our expectationsPaul’s appeal to the Philippian believers grows directly out of the example he has just described in Christ. He invites them to adopt the same selfless attitude that Christ displayed, knowing that true Christian maturity always moves in the direction of humility, not self‑assertion. The illustration of children helps make this clear. Children are naturally self‑focused, and adults often overlook this because their innocence and openness are so endearing. But as children grow, expectations change. Maturity requires learning to think beyond oneself, to consider the needs of others, and to act with increasing generosity and restraint. Paul sees the same pattern in the life of faith. Growth in Christ means learning to release the instinct to demand what one believes is deserved.

This is why Paul is careful to clarify what Christ did and did not empty Himself of. Christ did not set aside His divinity, majesty, or righteousness. None of His divine attributes were diminished or suspended. What He relinquished was His rightful expectation of receiving the honor, privilege, and recognition that belonged to Him as the eternal Son. He chose not to insist on what was His by nature. He laid aside the prerogatives of deity, not the reality of deity. In doing so, He embraced the path of humility, obedience, and sacrificial love.

This voluntary emptying is the heart of the incarnation. Christ looked beyond what He deserved in order to give what humanity did not deserve. He accepted the limitations of human life, the vulnerability of servanthood, and ultimately the shame of the cross. His self‑giving was not a loss of identity but the fullest expression of divine love. The One who had every right to be served chose instead to serve. The One who possessed eternal glory chose to enter a world marked by suffering and sin. The One who was worthy of universal worship chose to endure rejection and death.

Paul presents this as the ultimate model of Christian maturity. The selfless attitude of Christ is not an abstract ideal but a pattern meant to shape the daily life of believers. Maturity in Christ means learning to release the quiet demands of entitlement, to let go of the instinct to protect status, and to embrace the freedom of serving others. Christ’s example shows that true greatness is found not in grasping for privilege but in giving oneself for the good of others. His humility becomes the blueprint for a community shaped by love, sacrifice, and the transforming power of the gospel.

Lord, grant us the maturity that empties our expectation of what we deserve.

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