Jesus, our Eden; Jesus, our Babel

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
                     
Having just finished a week of intensive study from Genesis, I can't help but see that here in this oft-debated kenosis passage, Paul is alluding back to our earliest history as a people - the points where we got it wrong our Lord Jesus got it right.

The sin of Adam wasn't simply stealing the King's food [although it was that], it was a power grab.
 The temptation wasn't one of hunger, it was one of usurpation.  Eat this and become like God.  Reach out and grasp it.  It's right there for the taking.  The shining serpent whispered.  Take from this tree and you too will be a god.

Thanks be to God, our Lord resisted this very temptation.  When equality with God was His in the first place, He relinquished His privilege and became obedient to the will of the Father, even to death, even the accursedness of a tree death.  He did not fill his belly, but emptied Himself, blood and water flowing out.  He did not reach out to seize for exaltation.  He was not grasping. When He reached out His hand, it was in obedience.  It was to to be fixed back upon the tree, as the King's fruit itself was returned and replaced; a final, acceptable sacrifice.  

The other time in our early history when we seized at power was on the plains of Shinar, where we gathered to build a city whose tower would exalt us into the Heavens where we could become gods and establish a name for ourselves from its heights, lest we be scattered and emptied out into the land [which, of course, we were].

Thanks be to God, our Lord resisted this very temptation.  He came down from the Heavens in order to be lifted up again on a cross - the link between earth and heaven.  He obeyed.  He served.  He gave up His lifeblood to be emptied out into the land.  Because of this, the Father has exalted Him high above heaven and earth and has given to Him the name that is above all others.