I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel… Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Philippians 1:12-18
Last weekend, we reflected on how Paul could be content as a political prisoner but he had to come to terms with something worse. People arrived in Rome to preach openly about Jesus with the sole intention of making Paul’s situation still more difficult for him.
What sort of people would behave like that? I don’t think that Paul was referring to people sent by the Jewish authorities. They had lobbied the local Roman governors to keep Paul in prison when he had broken neither Jewish nor Roman law but they would not have wanted to see a Jewish Messiah proclaimed publically at the heart of the Roman Empire.
I think Paul is referring to Jewish Christians, his fiercest critics and the people he had been trying to please when he was arrested in Jerusalem. They had dogged his heels across the Roman Empire, getting in his way and undermining his ministry, and would have welcomed the opportunity to assert their theology in Rome. They might even have thought that their freedom to do that was God’s blessing.
In the Beatitudes, at the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had said, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy… Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:4-12). To be blessed is to be fortunate, well-off and even privileged and happy!
Later in the Sermon, Jesus was even more explicit when he said, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’. Paul understood this very well. In his letter to the Christians living in Rome, written before his arrest and deportation, he wrote: ‘Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”. To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Romans 12:17-21).
The Greek word for vengeance that Paul used also means justice. Today, we see a clear difference between vengeance and justice but in the past the two concepts have been much closer together. The key point is that it's not for us to get our own back or to get even. There are, of course, occasions where it is necessary to try to correct an injustice but there needs to be more at stake than retribution!
Theological rivalry pursued like the Jewish Christians in the 1st Century has cast deep shadows over every generation since. It has undermined the Gospel – a message that should in its very nature be good news – and hindered revival. The Church needs men and women today who will disagree in the spirit of St Paul, Christians who will continue to walk in a manner worthy of their calling in spite of their differences, ‘with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Contentment isn't possible while we're worried, fretting about the people who set themselves against us. People involved in long legal disputes find they can't settle themselves until it's all over. When others try to make life difficult for us, and resort to unscrupulous tactics to do so, we can only be content if we trust God to take care of the situation.This is especially difficult when they are fellow Christians but Paul’s response went beyond contentment. He knew when he was blessed and could therefore rejoice in the situation.
The Greek word for vengeance that Paul used also means justice. Today, we see a clear difference between vengeance and justice but in the past the two concepts have been much closer together. The key point is that it's not for us to get our own back or to get even. There are, of course, occasions where it is necessary to try to correct an injustice but there needs to be more at stake than retribution!
Theological rivalry pursued like the Jewish Christians in the 1st Century has cast deep shadows over every generation since. It has undermined the Gospel – a message that should in its very nature be good news – and hindered revival. The Church needs men and women today who will disagree in the spirit of St Paul, Christians who will continue to walk in a manner worthy of their calling in spite of their differences, ‘with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Contentment isn't possible while we're worried, fretting about the people who set themselves against us. People involved in long legal disputes find they can't settle themselves until it's all over. When others try to make life difficult for us, and resort to unscrupulous tactics to do so, we can only be content if we trust God to take care of the situation.This is especially difficult when they are fellow Christians but Paul’s response went beyond contentment. He knew when he was blessed and could therefore rejoice in the situation.
We should not underestimate Paul's motivation! He wanted to be merciful, so that he could receive mercy; he wanted to be a peacemaker, so that he could be seen as God's child; he was prepared to endure persecution so that he could enter the Kingdom of Heaven and receive a reward there. And both Scripture and history imply that he achieved all of that!
© Copyright Philip Evans 2014.
As what is freely received should be freely shared and not sold for profit, you are very welcome to copy these Reflections freely and without cost to others. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
