You’re going to need a Bible when your read this. I’m not going to put down the exact text for each Bible verse I’m referencing as well as my commentary about it. Actually, I think that looking up the information in your Bible really helps in learning.
I can almost never read the Bible any more as a narrative. I opened the Book of Philippians last Saturday morning to center my mind and spirit while preparing for Shabbat services later that morning. As I started reading, connections and ideas started popping up in my head. I opened up a text editor on my computer and started taking the notes that ultimately resulted in this blog post.
This article is a text representation of how I teach and to some degree, how I think. If you follow the list of verses I present, you can almost see me reading through Philippians and then connecting to some other part of the Bible that seems to illustrate a point or speak to Paul’s theme. On the Shabbat I wrote these notes, I already had my teaching prepared and I knew I wouldn’t have the opportunity to also present this material. Not wanting a Bible study to go to waste, I saved the notes and turned them into what you’re reading now.
The church or faith community in Phillipi was primarily Gentile and Paul knew how to speak to specific audiences. I started wondering if the metaphors he used would be different than those he employs when talking to either a mixed (Jewish and Gentile) congregation or a completely Jewish audience. What I found was interesting.
Open up your Bibles and follow along. Let’s see what we can discover together by exploring these notes.
Philippians 1:4-6 The work started will continue to grow until the return of the Messiah. What is Paul saying that we’re supposed to be doing as the work the father started in us continues to grow, and while we’re heading for the completion of that work on the Day of the Messiah? Pray. Proclaim the Good News. Share the work. All this implies that whatever started when you accepted Yeshua (Jesus) doesn’t remain static but continues to grow and develop. This is an important point, because some believers are so focused on saving or being saved, that they don’t see what comes after that event. According to Paul, a lot comes after being saved.
Philippians 1:9-11 Love overflows more and more as well as knowledge and depth of discernment, so we can determine what is best. How is this done? This implies both a spiritual and intellectual awareness of God and of a holy lifestyle. It goes back to prayer, but also means study (knowledge and depth of discernment). It’s why we study the commandments; to help us discern right from wrong in our lives so we can live our lives as holy.
Philippians 1:12-13 Because of the Messiah, I am in chains. We could look at this as, “just because I’m a believer, God won’t necessarily make my life all comfortable in His service”. This statement flies in the face of those that preach a “prosperity Gospel”, saying that if you have enough faith, you’ll also be (materially) rich and free of troubles. Doesn’t sound like Paul’s life.
Philippians 1:14 Paul, being in prison, acted as an inspiration. Whose suffering for the cause of Messiah inspires us to be bold in our faith?
Philippians 1:15-18 It’s interesting that Paul states a person’s motives for proclaiming the Good News are less important than the fact it’s being proclaimed. Does this mean that actions are more important than internal emotional, cognitive, or even spiritual states? I wonder, given these verses, if there’s a difference (at least to the audience) in preaching the Gospel out of a sincere desire to spread the Word and being motivated by self-interest, perhaps “preaching” so that people will think you’re some sort of “religious leader” or to gain status or respect?
Philippians 1:20 We have hope, regardless of the circumstances of our life or, for that matter, our death.
Philippians 1:21:26 Paul was a prisoner and expected to be executed. He didn’t fear death and in fact, death was the opportunity to be with Messiah, yet he also knew that by being alive, he could continue to bear good fruit in Messiah’s name, helping support other believers. This is a good point in light of a story I read recently at BBC.co.uk called Pious ‘fight death the hardest’. The article made a point, based on a particular study, that faith-oriented people tended to request more life-extending measures to be used than non-religious people. This doesn’t sound like Paul. I provided the link here so you could read the article for yourself.
Philippians 1:27-30 How you all live your lives is important. Your lives bring honor to the Messiah, encouragement to other believers, and are a sign to “the opposition”. Keep in mind that this is an indication not only that you are headed for deliverance, but that you will do battles and even suffer for Him. Paul was in prison and yet still “fighting”. What trials do we face that require we keep on fighting?
Philippians 2:1-4 Paul continues stating how the lifestyles of the believers provided him with encouragement and joy, and that encouragement could be damaged if they engaged in rivalry and vanity. The expected behavior of believers includes love, compassion, sympathy, and humility. He cites a “common purpose” and a “common love”. Everything he’s said up to this point indicates not only a personal commitment, but a unity among believers. This isn’t something we can do alone and in fact, we seem to be at least encouraged if not required to act as a believing community, in union together. While we can worship as individuals, we aren’t meant to worship only as individuals.
Philippians 2:5-11 Paul cites the humility and sacrifice of the Messiah as an example for how we are to lead our lives, for that example is our goal in union with Messiah.
Philippians 2:12-13 Obedience “with fear and trembling” while doing God’s work. I sometimes am concerned that the “friendliness” of the Messiah is emphasized, and the “fear and awe” of Him is minimized so much, that we never let ourselves experience the latter. Paul seemed to be encouraging that “fear and awe. They say “familiarity breeds contempt”. Is treating God too casually a sign of contempt?
Philippians 2:14-16 Believers will be (or rather are) shining stars amidst a “twisted and perverted generation” (sounds like the world today, huh?). Think about how much larger the darkness of the night sky seems in comparison to the tiny dots of light we see amid the darkness. Now imagine each star is the life of a believer against a background of a fallen world. That’s the picture Paul is painting to illustrate our lives in the world today.
Philippians 2:17 It’s interesting that Paul should use the example of a “drink offering” to a group of Gentile believers. Why use a “Torah-based” metaphor? This may indicate that they were taught Torah and knew the details of Temple worship. It supports the idea that non-Jewish believers in the 1st century church were not given teachings that were absent of Torah knowledge by their believing Jewish mentors. Otherwise, why would Paul use this metaphor to his non-Jewish audience?
Philippians 2:29-30 Not that all believers will have to risk their lives and almost die for the cause of Messiah, but obviously it will happen this way for some believers. Think about this when your lives get tough because of your faith. Who is to say that whatever trials you may go through aren’t for His glory and honor? How you bear up under this sends a message to both believers and unbelievers around you.
Philippians 3:1-3 These verses speak to us today as well as to Paul’s Gentile audience. In some parts of the Messianic world, Jewish believers or “the circumcised”, are honored more than Gentile believers, simply because they’re Jewish. In Paul’s day, some of the Jewish believers probably “lorded it over” the Gentile believers, because they perceived them as “Johnny come latelys”
Matthew 3:9 John the Baptist is speaking to a Jewish audience, just as Matthew wrote this Gospel for a Jewish audience. “And don’t suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying ‘Abraham is our father’. For I tell you that God can raise up for Abraham, sons from these stones!”
Paul is saying that Jews with such attitudes are “Mutilated”, implying that their physical circumcision is worthless or deforming, because their hearts and minds aren’t lined up with the Messiah. He refers to “we who are Circumcised”, not because the Gentiles were (though Paul certainly was physically), but in reference to the “circumcision of the heart”
Deuteronomy 10:16 (among other verses) “Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart and don’t be stiffnecked any longer.”
Paul is referring to the Jewish detractors of the Gentile Messianic community in Philippi as “dogs” and “evildoers”, probably because, though they were Jewish, they were relying only on their birth as Jews (see the verses from Matthew above) and making no attempt to actually obey the Messiah with a pure heart, as Paul earlier encouraged the Gentiles to do.
Philippians 3:4-6 Paul is illustrating that he has the same Jewish background as the Jewish detractors of the Gentile worshipers, so they can’t use their “human qualifications” or outward signs of Judaism to claim superiority. Paul isn’t discounting his Jewishness, but stating that he has all of those qualifications, and more importantly, also has a heart and mind lined up with the Messiah, as does the faith community in Philippi.
Philippians 3:7-11 This often is used by the traditional church to indicate that Paul gave up being Jewish and “converted” to Christianity, yet he doesn’t actually say this. Compare to the earlier verses where Paul announces his “Jewish” qualifications. However, he considers these qualifications a “disadvantage” because they could give the impression to Gentile believers that somehow, being Jewish makes you a “cut above” (it would be a pun if I said “cut below”, but I digress) being a Gentile believer and perhaps, closer to God. Paul is trying very hard not to let his Jewishness get in the way of Gentiles recognizing that they have the same access to the Messiah as Paul does.
Galatians 3:28 “…there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one.”
Colossians 3:11 “The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, freeman; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything”.
When Paul calls his Jewish qualifications “garbage”, he’s not throwing them in the trash can and replacing them with Christian grace, but rather saying that, in comparison, it’s that trusting and faith in Messiah that really matters in a person’s life, regardless if they’re Jewish or Gentile. What Paul “gave up” was his life as a Pharisee in the religious hierarchy, and probably his position in the Sanhedrin, in order to be the Messiah’s emissary to the Gentiles, for continuing to deny the Messiah would be denying “his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings”.
Acts 7:57-58 This is a picture of Saul/Paul holding the coats…well, prayer shawls actually, of the other members of the Sanhedrin, while the stoning of Stephen took place. At this point in time, Paul was probably a junior member of this court body. It was this position, in part, that Paul gave up, along with his hatred for the Messianic community, when he literally saw the light and became a disciple of the Messiah.
Philippians 3:12-14 Another good example from Paul that just being a believer, that is “being saved”, is only the beginning and not the ultimate goal. Paul uses his own life as an example that he has not yet reached the goal but keeps pursuing it. Earlier, Paul defined the completion of the goal as the Day (the return) of the Messiah. Think about what that means in your life as a believer. What are you pursuing?
Philippians 3:15-16 Some people are more mature (experienced) in the faith than others. The more mature people will understand what Paul is saying, while the less mature will be “differently minded”. Here, Paul offers encouragement to the less mature by saying they can rely on God to reveal what they need to know and pursue. He also admonishes the believers to let their lifestyle mirror whatever their current understanding of their faith happens to be. As you become more spiritually developed, your outward lifestyle should continue to change and mature as well. If you are less mature, don’t worry. God won’t let you “swing in the breeze”, so to speak. He’ll provide you with the opportunities to grow.
Philippians 3:17 Paul says “imitate me” not “imitate the Messiah”. We’d expect the latter, but Paul was educated like a Jewish rabbi in the discipline of discipleship. When you’re the disciple of a Master, you imitate him, then become a Master teacher yourself and your students imitate you. Paul is speaking from that style of education so, just as his life is an imitation of Messiah, so the lives of his students should imitate his. This then creates a chain of teaching from one generation to the next across time.
Sadly, this chain was broken when the Gentile church broke away from the Jewish believers in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and now, we in the Messianic community must go back to the source to recapture what it is to be a disciple of our Master, the Messiah. We are attempting to reconnect to the Hebraic root of our faith and our root, our source, is the Messiah.
Philippians 3:18-19 Paul is saying that some people are outwardly believers but their goal is “the belly” or worldly pleasures. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, meaning their priorities for their lives are completely turned upside down. This doesn’t mean that believers can’t live well materially, but it’s what you consider important in your life that counts. How many believers spend a few hours in church and perhaps Wednesday night in a Bible study, but their primary drive in life is the rewards of the secular world around them?
Philippians 3:20-21 Paul defines, at least part, of how the goal will happen when the Messiah returns.
Philippians 4:3 The Book of Life. We see this mentioned in traditional Judaism during the Days of Awe or during the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur observances. Jews all over the world confess their sins and ask to be written in God’s Book of Life for another year, unaware that the believers in the Messiah are written in that book once and for all.
Revelation 20:12-15 In the end of days, the dead are judged. Anyone who is not written in the Book of Life is thrown into the lake of fire.
Philippians 4:5 Let everyone see your life as reasonable and gentle, defining how we should live for the sake of others. Reason speaks to logic, thinking, and study, while gentle speaks to attitude and demeanor. Both our mind and our heart are engaged in the service of our Lord.
Philippians 4:6-7 Paul is probably referencing those believers who focus primarily on their needs in the here and now and telling his audience not to be concerned but instead, to pray for their needs.
John 14:13-14 “In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for something in my name, I will do it”.
Matthew 6:25-26 “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds flying about. They neither plant nor harvest, nor do they gather food into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they are?”
Also, don’t just make your petitions a “wish list”, but give thanks for everything. Once you do this, God grants you “peace beyond all understanding”, that is, you will be given peace in circumstances that those without faith and hope would be in despair.
Philippians 4:8-9 What to focus your attention and actions on. Paul’s using his life as an example to be imitated, again.
Philippians 4:11-13 Paul is presenting himself as an example of what he just told his audience to do…be at peace regardless of circumstances.
Philippians 4:14 Nevertheless, it’s still good to speak to and request encouragement from like-minded believers. God provided us with the Messianic community so we could be a support to each other.
Philippians 4:18 Paul uses “Temple language” for a second time to his Gentile audience, again confirming that they must have known about what the Torah teaches of Temple worship, for him to use such examples. Another indication that the “Law” was not “nailed to the cross” with Messiah.
That was a “quick tour” of Philippians and Paul’s instructions to a group of non-Jewish believers in the Jewish Messiah. We tend to forget that perspective in our modern age where the expectation is, if a Jew wants to worship the Jewish Messiah, they have to convert to Gentile Christianity, forsaking everything Jewish. That doesn’t seem to be what Paul was telling his Gentile audience. They were working to move away from their idol worshiping pasts and progressing towards a faith being taught by the only people on Earth who had been worshiping the one, true God for thousands of years.
I hope this article helped to shed a little light on what Paul was trying to say to that group of Gentile believers almost 2000 years ago…and what he’s trying to say to us today.