Paul Is No Pollyanna

Meditations on the Book of Philippians

June 23, 2020

Paul Is No Pollyanna

He was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

Philippians 2:26b-27

Read: Philippians 2:25-30

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus is saying that we should care as much for the welfare of our neighbor’s family as we do for our own household. Jesus’ words are often filed away with other Biblical platitudes because they seem rather unrealistic. However, in our passage for today, Paul’s self-disclosure gives us a real insight into what it looks like when we care deeply for our brothers and sisters in Christ. I offer three observations about Paul’s Christian community.

First, Paul makes it abundantly clear that he is no Pollyanna. Yes, Paul will tell us in Chapter 4 to rejoice in the Lord always, and that we can trade our anxieties for the peace of God that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:4, 7) But he also tells us that our love for one another can be exceedingly painful. Referring to his friend and companion, Epaphroditus, Paul writes, “And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another” (Philippians 2:27). Paul’s sorrow was that he was hindered from proclaiming the Gospel, and he was separated from the people of the church. The thought that his friend Epaphroditus might die seemed unbearable to Paul. Here is the Christian life experiencing real sorrow, real pain.

Secondly, Paul’s experience with his friends in the church gives us a window into the depth and quality of life in a Christian community. This whole chapter has been about unity within the church and learning to live self-sacrificially for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the sake of the Gospel. Is this really possible for 21^st Century America? Yes, and that is my third observation. Jesus did tell us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and he also told us that things that are impossible for us are possible with God.

My Takeaway: Recently I saw Paul’s heart desire for the church modeled beautifully. I was the spiritual director on a Walk to Emmaus weekend. Three of our participants were mobility-challenged, and we used wheelchairs to assist them. There never, ever, was a shortage of persons stepping up to assist these three to fully participate in all phases of the retreat. It is pure joy to be a part of a Christian community where so many look not to their own interests, but to the interests of others.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.