Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

The “honor-status reversal” motif in Scripture, part 1

Bible commentary, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, ,
Honor-status reversal is a major motif in the Bible
Honor-status reversal is a major motif in the Bible

According to the dictionary on my computer, a motif is “a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.” I contend in this post that “honor-status reversal” is a major motif in Scripture.

One classic example in Scripture of honor-status reversal is found in the Apostle Paul’s description of our Lord Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11 ESV)

Jesus Christ was with the Father in the honor and glory of heaven in eternity past. His honor status was infinitely high. Christ was in His “pre-incarnate glory.”

But Jesus willingly allowed for his honor status to be reversed. He “emptied himself” … descending through the Incarnation … born fully human to the virgin Mary … “taking the form of a servant”.

He humbled himself further by dying, “even death on a cross”—the most shameful and ignominious destiny a man could endure. This was his humiliation.

But his destiny on earth was not the end of the story. The pre-incarnate glory and honor he once had in heaven, then willingly lost, was to be regained and then magnified as he rose from the dead and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Again, this is an example of honor-status reversal—also known as Christ’s exaltation.

It bears repeating:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:9–11 ESV)

The significance of these verses cannot be overstated. As Christians, we believe that the incarnation of Jesus Christ is the crux of human history. That it constitutes the most dramatic account of honor-status reversal has wonderful implications for cross-cultural Christian ministry.

Here’s another example of honor-status reversal from the words of Jesus:

“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” (Luke 9:48 ESV)

Karl Reich, author of Figuring Jesus: The Power of Rhetorical Figures of Speech in the Gospel of Luke, explains honor-status reversal this way:

The very words “least” and “greatest” would automatically call up the thought of the Greco-Roman honor-shame system which was ultimately concerned with greatness. Malina and Rohr argue that this verse cuts at the very heart of of the honor-shame system. They write, “A squabble over honor status would be typical within any ancient Mediterranean grouping … Jesus’ reversal of the expected order challenges the usual assumptions about what is honorable in a very fundamental way.”

Referring to this verse, “And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:30 ESV), the author continues:

… The pithy comment stays with the audience because of its compact and forceful nature and its enigmatic message. The transformation of polar opposites into their antithesis is unthinkable. The saying of the Lukan Jesus undermines the honor-shame system by proclaiming a reversal of roles.”

The dynamic of honor-status reversal occurs in Paul’s description of the incarnation in his letter to the Philippians. We have seen it briefly in the teachings of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. But it must be noted that honor-status reversal is present throughout Scripture. Otherwise it cannot be considered a motif. Consider:

  • Adam and Even were “sent out from the Garden of Eden”—they left the glory and honor of perfect fellowship with God and were shamed by their rebellion to live apart from the honorable presence with God. The honor of their fellowship with God was reversed to a permanent condition of guilt, fear and shame.
  • The story of Abraham is a story of a wealthy man who is called by God to leave the very source of honor—his father, his kinship, his homeland: “…Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1). But consider the immense honor he is promised by God: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3 ESV). It is an honor-status reversal which is foundational to the revelation of Scripture—and the global purpose of God. See more on this at my blog post here.
  • The story of Joseph takes up a large portion of Scripture—Genesis 37–50—fully 14 chapters. Joseph was the favorite, most honored son of Jacob, and was sold into slavery, from which he rose to become the prime minister of Egypt. It’s a classic story of honor-status reversal.
  • The story of Moses in Exodus is also an account of honor-status reversal. A baby born into the oppressed minority society of the Hebrews is found by Pharaoh’s daughter—and then raised to eventually lead the Hebrews out of Egypt to the Promised Land.
  • The stories of Saul and David remind us that, on the one hand, a man of human-derived honor, stature and might like King Saul can be judged by God and lose his honor status—while on the other hand, God takes a lowly shepherd boy who had faith in the living God and raises him to become a mighty king whose honor in the eyes of the people greatly exceeded that of the prior king.
  • The story of Esther is another classic. A beautiful woman (Esther) from the minority culture of the Jews ends up rising in honor as she is chosen to be the wife of the king of Persia. When a plot to kill the Jews is hatched by the evil Haman, Esther’s uncle Mordecai asks Esther to courageously intervene with the king on behalf of her people, the Jews . The ESV Study Bible says, “The reader is clearly meant to laugh at the way [Haman’s] vanity traps him into having to publicly honor the very man he intended to kill (6:6–11), and his death on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (7:8–10) is a classic case of a villain falling into his own pit.” We see here again—multiple examples of honor-status reversal!
  • The Beatitudes begin with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3 ESV). It worth rereading these verses. In every verse in this most beautiful series, Jesus is teaching that in his kingdom, there is a new way of living. This new way of living is not a dismissal of the need for honor—or a total rejection of the dynamics of honor and shame which permeated Greco-Roman culture. It is, rather, a proclamation that a new honor, a higher and permanent honor is now available to all as they live in God’s kingdom in loving submission to the most honorable King of Kings.
  • The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) is considered by many as the most famous story ever told by the master story teller, Jesus. The younger of two sons has turned away from his family and his father. He ends up in the most degrading and shameful condition conceivable. He comes to his senses, decides to return home to his father. Rather than being rejected and scorned, the father greets him with kisses and weeping. He gives the lost son his prized robe. He provides sandals for his feet and gives him a ring for his finger, signifying the honor and authority of the family. Then the father calls for a huge village celebration to welcome home the lost son. (See more about this story at The Father’s Love Gospel Booklet.) Is there a more powerful example of honor-status reversal in Scripture?
  • In Revelation, the judgement of God constitues an honor-status reversal for the great and mighty city of Babylon. “And he called out with a mighty voice, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast” (Revelation 18:2). Numerous other examples of honor-status reversal also appear in Revelation. The Lamb that was slain is revealed as the conquering Lion of Judah (5:5–6) … the saints who were martyred are honorably clothed in white (6:11) … the once glorious, evil serpent, the devil, in finally conquered (20:1–10) … even the once-inglorious unredeemed peoples of the earth—represented by their kings—bring their glory into the new city (21:22–26). Again and again, we see honor-status reversal.

Have I made the case that honor-status reversal is a motif in the Bible? Even though I have not mentioned the many examples of honor-status reversal in the Psalms, the Gospels and the various New Testament epistles,  I hope you agree that it is plain from the examples noted above.

What is perhaps less plain and more difficult for many Christians to embrace, is that honor-status reversal is for believers, too. As followers of Christ and members of his body, the church, Scripture teaches that we are called to identify with our Lord to such an extent that our relationship with him leads to a magnificent increase in our own honor status.

This has a few key application points which I’ll be exploring in future posts:

  1. The increase in honor status for believers is embedded exclusively and totally in relation to Jesus Christ.
  2. When believers understand and experience an increase to their honor status through Christ, it enables them to resist the shaming techniques of people who are trying to coerce them to leave the faith.
  3. The increase in honor status for believers exists both in community (the church)—and in one’s individual relationship with Christ.
  4. The increase in honor status for believers is a strong catalyst for setting people free from the struggles of sin and shame.
  5. Understanding the dynamics of honor and shame and honor-status reversal can be a key for more effective cross-cultural ministry.
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Resolving the tension between grace and truth—through ‘missional grace’

Bible commentary, Ephesians, Global Christian mission,

When Christian leaders disagree on the relative emphasis on grace versus truth, I imagine it being resolved through missional grace. Here’s what I mean.

I imagine that on one side, there are the grace champions, and on the other side, the truth champions.

Grace champions are passionate about the fact that GRACE is the answer to living in a fallen world; they believe that Jesus Christ—especially in his transforming love—is the answer to our brokenness as individuals, families, communities. In my thinking, if I’m a grace champion, I believe people must repent and experience healing from their brokenness. We are all in pain, and for most of us, life is a struggle in one degree or another. We are all sinners. Praise God, His grace helps us overcome. We all need Jesus! 

Truth champions are passionate about the fact that TRUTH is the answer to living in a fallen world; they believe that Jesus Christ—especially in His transforming Word—is the answer to all our deceptions. In my thinking, if I’m a truth champion, I believe people must repent of their sin, their belief in false truths, their worship of false gods. We all need the truth principles in God’s Word to overcome our own sin and sinful deceptions. We need the truth of God to stand against our sinful culture. We are all sinners. Praise God, truth sets us free! We all need Jesus!

Sometimes truth champions oppose grace champions. Truth champions are concerned that, if one is too grace-oriented, too forgiving, too accepting—the objective truth of God’s Word will be marginalized—with the result that the church will lose its significance in a secular, relativistic culture. They fear that, instead of standing against the evils of the culture, the church will succumb to and decline with the culture; the church will have lost its mission, its identity.

Sometimes grace champions oppose truth champions. They are concerned that, by being too truth-oriented, the love and grace of Christ will be marginalized—with the result that the church will alienate struggling believers and be unattractive to a lost world. They fear that the church, instead of being a place that welcomes the hurting, ends up as more of a social club for the successful; the church will have lost its mission, its identity.

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Into this divide between grace champions and truth champions, God’s Word speaks of Jesus Christ:  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14 ESV

In Jesus Christ, there is no division, there is no conflict between grace and truth. Simply, Jesus Christ is full of grace and full of truth in perfect integrity. This Word—this Son—is glorious! … as glorious, honorable and worthy of praise as the Father who sent him.

Yes, Christ was sent. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …” God the Father sent God the Son to this world, and he “became flesh.”

If I am to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, then I’ll be engaged in a glory-filled, life-long missional journey, endeavoring to live out my life as a harmony of grace and truth.

Do you want a fuller understanding of grace? Are you involved in a conflict between grace and truth? Some insights from the book of Ephesians:

Examine the word grace in Ephesians 1: 6–7, along with its context (verses 3–14). Because of grace, what does the believer receive in these verses? Because of grace we are in Chirst, in the Beloved One; therefore we have received … redemption, forgiveness, adoption into God‘s family, knowledge of the mystery of his will, an inheritance … indeed, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Chirst. The treasures and blessings are infinite in scope.

Examine the three times the word grace is used in Ephesians 2:5–9. Because of grace, what does the believer receive in these verses? The believer is “made alive together with Christ;” the believer receives the elevated position of being seated with Christ “in the heavenly places,” all by virtue of God’s effort, not our own. This is “not of works, so that no one may boast.” It is the gift of grace. And to think this all happended “while we were dead in our trespasses.” Amazing what the believer receives by grace!

But now consider Ephesians 3:1–13. Here we see another dimension to the grace God. Here, grace is not only about what the Apostle Paul receives, it’s also about what he is divinely commissioned by God to give. Paul is given the enormous responsibility (you’ll see he considers this a gift of grace in verse 2, 7 and 8!) …

“… assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,” (Ephesians 3:2 ESV)

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. (Ephesians 3:7 ESV)

“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:8 ESV)

Do you see it? Paul viewed grace not only as the means of his forgiveness, but also as the means for his calling and mission. Shouldn’t it be the same for all believers in the church today? Of course, Paul was specifically called to be an apostle to the Gentiles in the early church, and so his unique calling does not apply to you and me. But here is the principle that does apply:

As grace saves us, so also, grace sends us to those who are yet to receive the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

So how might an expanded, truth-filled, missional understanding of grace resolve the so-called conflict between grace and truth? By enabling us to see that grace is not just for saving the lost, and compensating for weakness or sin and failure.

True biblical grace transforms the believer into someone who goes, who is sent. Grace-saturated followers of Christ (like Apostle Paul) are honorable servants and ambassadors whose passion is to bless those neighbors and peoples and nations (those we might even call our enemies!) who have not yet received the transforming gospel of Christ.

If grace does not include mission, it is small, truncated, and self-centered. We are not just saved by grace. We are sent by grace. This is missional grace.

In the glory of Christ and his mission to bless all peoples and nations, there is no divide between grace and truth.