T. Joe Eggebrecht, Guest Essayist
Bridgeport, Illinois

The Apostle Paul knew something of the passion of Jesus as he sat in a prison in Rome. He had been placed there because he preached about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Rather than mark off his days of incarceration on a calendar Paul made his prison time worthwhile. He wrote letters to some of the churches where he has preached to encourage them in the faith. One of those letters was the one he wrote to the Philippian Christians.

He wrote: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." [Phil. 2:5-7]

Jesus' divine nature was His from the beginning. The Apostle John wrote: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." [John 1:1] Then in verse 14 we read, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only Begotten of the Father." So, Jesus was not in a human body by accident. He chose to take the form of a man. He did not need to strive to reach up to be equal with God. He was already there.

One of my favorite hymns is "Ivory Palaces." The hymn describes the Lord's decision to leave Heaven and come to earth as a servant or slave. "Out of the ivory palaces, into a world of woe: Only His great eternal love made my Savior go."

The Word made Himself of no reputation. He became nothing, born in a stable. He was not born in the sterile conditions of a hospital, but He was born in a stable where animals were kept. He was not laid on a clean baby bed with fresh sheets from a germ-cleansing chamber. He was placed in a manger, an animal feed trough. He grew up in a simple carpenter's home, not in a palace or even a mansion.

"And He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." [Phil. 2:8] Being of such humble birth was not sufficient, He also humbled himself to allow mankind to ridicule Him, mock Him, beat Him, and nail Him to a cross. He was hung on that cross between two nearly worthless men who were being crucified because they were criminals, so those who passed by could continue to mock Him

Having died there on the cross without any funeral pre-arrangements, no funeral director, and no cemetery lot, it was necessary for a compassionate friend to take care of His body. A rich man, Joseph of Arimathea (one of the Sanhedrin), sought permission to take care of the body of Jesus by placing Him in his own tomb that he had carved out for him and his wife.

Jesus only needed Joseph's tomb for the weekend, for early on the first day of the week He arose from that tomb. "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." [Phil.2:9-10]

It sounds like Paul has written a song in his prison cell and is singing. Are you singing that same song?

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Yes, Joe, and it is my prayer that each believer who reads your essay today wants to join us in singing that same song, not only on Easter but every Lord's Day which reminds us of the Resurrection of Christ. THE WORDWRIGHT