In Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, we encounter a joy that’s not rooted in circumstance, a joy not subject to the roller coaster of life’s various victories and failures, a joy that reaches its perfect expression when Paul finds himself in prison. The fact of the matter is, Jesus is a threat to those in this world with too much power and money. Nothing is more terrifying to Caesar than the gospel proclamation that the world really belongs, not to Caesar, but to the crucified Christ. And this gospel is traveling through the Roman empire like a cancer (at least that’s how Caesar would feel about it), so Paul must be locked away. But this isn’t bad news, it’s the complete opposite! “I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
The gospel now has a chance to reach people it could not have reached before, especially those who hold the keys to his prison cell! And Paul’s fellow gospel evangelists are realizing something – it’s possible to make enemies this powerful; it’s possible to suffer real consequences for belonging to Jesus; and in the face of such enemies, it is indeed possible to share Jesus with that much less fear and that much more boldness. The possibilities are endless! So while the Philippian Christians are worried about Paul (you and I probably would be to), Paul is nothing but happy about his situation. He’s not happy in spite of prison, he’s happy because of it. Evil, in its attempt to silence the gospel, has only amplified it. What a joyful irony.
And prison is not even the only “problem” Paul is having. He goes on to mention that some of his fellow gospel preachers despise him and use their preaching as an avenue to discredit him and “increase his suffering” (1:17). But that’s fine with Paul; the gospel is being preached and that is only good news. Then, he considers that those who have locked him away might decide to take it a step further and finally execute him, but that’s just fine with Paul too. “To live is Christ and to die is gain… my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” If death is no threat to Christ, then neither is it a threat to Paul; he’ll get to be fully united to Christ that much sooner. No wonder he goes on to say a few verses later that God “has graciously granted you the privilege of suffering for him.” (1:29) Suffering… a privilege? Does it occur to us that these words are even capable of belonging in the same sentence?
For Paul, there is no losing, because his is a joy not rooted in circumstance. Instead, it is rooted in gospel that manages to best reveal itself, not from a place of advantage but from a place of disadvantage, not from a place of power but from a place of suffering, not from a throne room but from a prison cell. His is a joy rooted in the God who has claimed the world for himself, whether the Caesars of the world realize it or not. This is the joy into which the letter of Philippians is inviting us. Let’s happily accept that invitation.
0 Comments