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Philippians 2:5-11         (4/24)         Epistle for the Feast of the Life-Giving Spring

The Name: Philippians 2:5-11, especially vs. 9:"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
and given Him the name which is above every name...."

And what name is "above every name"? Is it not the name of the Most Exalted, the Person of
God Himself? In the Commandments God's name is not to be invoked, uttered aloud, or spoken
lightly, for He is utterly Holy, beyond everything sacred (Ex. 20:7). God's dread holiness is
recognized in the synagogues of the ancient People of God, in the usage of the four letters
(YHWH) that represent His name in Hebrew. These letters, technically called the
tetragrammaton, are unpronounceable in Hebrew. Yet this is the name that God the Lord gave to
Moses when the great Seer asked Him to identify Himself (Ex. 3:13-14). Hence, when the
Hebrew text is read in synagogues, the practice is to substitute the word "adonai" - meaning,
"Lord" - instead of vocalizing the letters. In the Orthodox Old Testament, God's reply is given in
Greek as "o On," "the One Who Is" or "I Am."

It is instructive to explore what meaning St. Paul gives to "...the name which is above every
name...." In this present reading, as he continues, he says "...that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow..." (Phil. 2:10). The name "Jesus" demands obeisance and yet it was the name of the
Prophet Joshua. Sometimes it is phonetically transliterated from Hebrew into English as
"Yeshua," but rendered as "Iesous" in Greek, which, later, led to "Jesus" in English. As the
footnote on the Prophet's name in The Orthodox Study Bible reports, it means "...the Lord is
salvation" (Jos. 1:1), the idea elaborated in the explanatory remarks of the angel of the Lord to
Joseph (Mt. 1:21-23) and to the Theotokos (Lk. 1:32-33) - essentially, "God with us" (Mt. 1:23).

The Divinity of Jesus is the reason that men should prostrate or bow to His name; He is God.
This the Apostle confirms in the second half of the verse 2:10, saying "...those in heaven, and of
those on earth, and of those under the earth..." should bow to Jesus' name. If men in stubborn sin
refuse to bow at the name of Jesus, certainly the hosts of heaven - who know Him well - practice
what the Apostle says and what other Apostles like Saint John did: "And when I saw Him, I fell
at His feet as dead..." (Rev. 1:17). Saint Paul continues this interpretation in the next verse from
Philippians - 2:11: "...every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...." Plainly, Jesus
should be the quintessential factor in everyone's outlook and actions.

In contemporary Western societies, and in many other places in the world, the "bottom line"
dominates men's approach to life, becoming the reason for the education they pursue, the jobs
they seek, where they choose to live, and the moral choices they make. In St. Paul's vision of life,
Christ Jesus, above all else, should dominate your mind (vs. 5), direct the primary choices you
make, no matter what cost follows, even loss of freedom and humiliation (vss. 6-8). Always He
should be what you seek to express in actions and words (vss. 10-11). To bow to Jesus' name
also is to confess Him as Master, Lord, and Source for your direction, action, and speech.

If you think about what is implied in the Apostle's appeal - to have this mind "...in you which
was also in Christ Jesus..." (vs. 5) - you will discern that St. Paul is asking commitment for life
from you. What do you want with your life? To make income the bottom line? invest your self
exclusively in family, fun, and friends? What about submitting your heart, soul, and will to
"...Jesus Christ [as] Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (vs. 11)? It may not preclude making an
income, having a family, or pursuing a God-honoring career. But it should entail obedience to
His commandments, His approach to life, and His will in relation to others around you, even
"...to the point of death..." (vs. 8) for many of your dreams, hopes, and less worthy ambitions and
desires.

Preserve my soul, O Master, in purity and uprightness, through saving fear of Thee.