In Philippians 2:5-11 we have the word of the Apostle Paul concerning Christ as the Slave of God.
In Philippians 2:5 and 6 Paul says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who subsisting in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Here we see that the Lord not only existed with God, but subsisted in the form of God. The Greek word rendered “subsisting” denotes existing from the beginning. This implies the Lord’s eternal preexistence. To say that Christ existed in the form of God means that He subsisted in the expression of God’s being (Heb. 1:3), that He was identified with the essence and nature of God’s Person. This refers to Christ’s deity.
According to Philippians 2:6, although Christ subsisted in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. He was equal with God, but He did not consider this equality a treasure to be grasped and retained. Rather, He was willing to come to earth as a man.
In Philippians 2:7 Paul goes on to say, “But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men.” The Lord emptied Himself of His position and glory and of other matters related to His Godhead. Of course, He did not empty Himself of His deity. Having emptied Himself, the Lord came as a man, taking the form of a slave and becoming in the likeness of men.
In Philippians 2:7 we have two important words: form and likeness. In His incarnation the Lord did not alter His divine nature, but altered only His outward expression of the form of God to that of a slave. This was not a change of essence but of state. The form of God implies the inward reality of Christ’s deity; the likeness of men denotes the outward appearance of His humanity. He appeared outwardly to men as a man, but inwardly He had the reality of deity. He took the form of a slave and became a man in the likeness of men.
In Luke 2 we can see the Lord as a man. When He came to Jerusalem with His parents, He was a human being, a child. There we do not see the Lord as a Slave. It is when the Lord Jesus came out to minister that we see Him as a Slave. As the Lord ministered, He was a Slave. For example, when He washed the feet of His disciples, He was in the form of a Slave (John 13:4-5). First, the Lord became a man in man’s likeness. Then He behaved as a Slave in the form of a Slave.
If a brother stands up to speak in a church meeting, he will certainly have the form of a man. However, if the same brother would put on work clothes and begin to vacuum the carpet, we may say that he has the form of a janitor. First, he is a man, and then he has the form of a janitor. This simple illustration may help us understand how the Lord became a man and then eventually ministered in the form of a Slave.
When the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest among them, the Lord told them that He came forth to serve as a Slave: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Here the Lord seems to be saying, “Look at Me. I have come to serve as a Slave, even at the cost of My life. I am ready to give My life as a ransom.” By this we see that in His ministry the Lord served in the form of a Slave.
In Philippians 2:8 Paul says, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross.” The Lord’s humbling Himself was a further step in His emptying Himself. Christ’s self-humbling manifests His self-emptying. The Lord became obedient even unto death, the death of a cross. The Lord’s death on the cross was the climax of His humiliation. To the Jews the death of a cross was a curse (Deut. 21:22-23), and to the Gentiles it was a death sentence imposed upon malefactors and slaves (Matt. 27:16-17, 20-23). Hence, it was a shameful thing (Heb. 12:2).
In Philippians 2:9 Paul says, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” The Lord humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak. From the time of the Lord’s ascension, there has not been a name on earth higher than the name of Jesus. Paul’s word in Philippians 2:9 concerning the Lord’s exaltation is similar to that prophesied in Isaiah 52:13.
In the Gospel of Mark there is no record of the Lord’s genealogy or His status. Because Mark presents the Savior as a Slave, he does not tell His genealogy or status, since the ancestry of a slave is not worthy of note.
The record concerning Christ as the Slave of God in the Gospel of Mark is not mainly a record of His wonderful words. Instead, it is a record of the Lord’s excellent deeds. These deeds displayed both His lovely humanity in its virtue and perfection and His deity in its glory and honor. We need to be impressed with the fact that in the Gospel of Mark we see a Slave with a lovely humanity in its virtue and perfection and with deity in its glory and honor.
The Gospel of Mark presents the Lord Jesus as a Slave of God and as the Slave-Savior of sinners. As the Slave-Savior, the Lord served sinners and gave His life as a ransom for them (10:45). By giving His life as a ransom for sinners, the Lord as the Slave-Savior accomplished the eternal purpose of God, whom He served as a Slave.