May 23 2026

Saturday May 23

“Obedient to the Point of Death”

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Today we are continuing in Philippians 2 and looking specifically at verses 5-8. These verses begin by telling us to have the mind of Christ: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Then we are given the steps of Christ’s humility. The mind of Christ is a life and mindset of humility—putting God and others first in our lives. Now here in verse 8, we see the deepest point in Christ’s humiliation: “He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus’ entire earthly life was marked by obedience. Hebrews 10:7 says: “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O my God.” From Bethlehem to Calvary, Jesus lived in perfect submission to the Father. In the Gospel of John Jesus made it very clear that He did not do what He Himself wanted to do. He always did what His Father told Him to do. He went where His Father told Him to go, and He spoke what His Father told Him to speak. It is very obvious that Jesus lived a life of submission to the Father. Where Adam disobeyed in a garden, Jesus obeyed in a garden. In Gethsemane, facing the horror of the cross, Jesus prayed: “Not My will, but Thine be done.” What obedience!

Notice verse 8 says: “He became obedient to the point of death.” Obedience cost Him everything. Sometimes we speak casually about obedience, but biblical obedience is often very costly. For Jesus, obedience meant: rejection, betrayal, false accusations, mocking, beatings, crucifixion, and ultimately death. Then Paul emphasizes: “Even the death of the cross.”

The cross was the most humiliating and shameful form of execution in the Roman world. Roman citizens were generally exempt from crucifixion. It was reserved for the worst criminals, slaves, and rebels. Victims were publicly stripped, mocked, and displayed in agony before the world. My friend, that is the death Jesus willingly obeyed unto—the death of the cross. Deuteronomy 21:23 declares: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Galatians 3:13 tells us: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” He became that curse for us by hanging on the cross.

Jesus did not merely die physically. He bore the wrath and judgment for our sins—the judgment we deserved. Isaiah 53:6 says: “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” At the cross, Jesus took our place. He suffered the judgment we deserved so that we could receive the forgiveness we did not deserve. My friend, this is the heart of the gospel.

Remember, Jesus chose this. Matthew 26:53 says that He could have called twelve legions of angels, but love held Him to the cross. The nails did not hold Him there. It was the love of God and the love of Christ that held Him on that cross when He died.

What application does this have for you and me today? First, we must realize that obedience always involves surrender. You cannot follow Christ while insisting on your own way and your own will. Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Second, true obedience is tested when it becomes costly. Anyone can obey when it is convenient. Obedience becomes real when sacrifice is required. Maybe the sacrifice will involve: our reputation, our comfort, our popularity, our financial security, our relationships, or our personal plans. When we come to Christ and choose to follow Him, it will cost us something. But nothing we surrender for Christ compares to what He surrendered for us!

The cross changes everything about how we view sacrifice. Paul later tells us in Romans 12:1:“Present your bodies a living sacrifice.” The Christian life is not about shallow, convenient Christianity. It is about cross-centered discipleship. But here is the wonderful truth: the cross is not the end. Sunday was coming. Humiliation would give way to exaltation. Death would give way to resurrection. Tomorrow, in Philippians 2:9, we will see heaven’s response to Christ’s obedience: “Therefore God has highly exalted Him.”

Let’s pray. “Father, thank You for the cross of Jesus Christ. Thank You that He willingly obeyed even unto death for our salvation. Help us to obey You wholeheartedly, even when obedience is costly. May we live surrendered lives because of the Savior who gave everything for us. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

God bless you and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!