Zechariah 13:6 (New International Version)
6 If someone asks him, 'What are these wounds on your body [a] ?' he will answer, 'The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.'
Philippians 1:18 (New International Version)
18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
I have two beautiful teenagers. They never fight or disagree… Yeah! Right! They fight like cats and dogs. Sometimes they fight in front of me and their mother. Then, we’re left trying to sort the whole mess out. Any other parents out there relate to this? Let me continue. Invariably, discipline is required. One of my children, or the other was responsible and should get what’s coming to them. The other child, the one who was wronged, wants justice, sometimes rightfully so. But, I have determined that in most circumstances I won’t discipline one child for the satisfaction of the other child. This infuriates the wronged child, but my job is to parent. Any discipline meted out would lose it’s effectiveness if the child receiving discipline thought the other child was somehow ‘winning’.
Kind of a weird intro, but it kind of points to the way we think generally. We have an innate sense about justice that says everyone should get what they deserve and we want to watch. Paul’s imprisonment brought out preachers who preached just that about him. ‘Paul is getting what he deserves’ they preached. ‘If Paul was right, why is God punishing him with jail’ they preached. Welcome to the letter to the Philippians. The beauty of this letter, especially this part of it, is that Paul could have used this passage to strike back at his detractors, but he doesn’t. Instead Paul celebrates the fact that as long as they (his detractors) are preaching Christ, he can rejoice. The Philippians were concerned about Paul’s imprisonment. Why? Why? Why? Paul recognizes that a wrong response can cause a rift in the burgeoning Christian movement spreading across the Middle East and Asia. One church is Paul’s vision and God’s heart. One church united. Enjoy this letter to the Philippian church. Keep your eyes on Christ. God will deliver us and He will deliver justice, when it is time. Until then, forward motion…
Blessings,
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