It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart …
Summary: Paul continues his introductory remarks by explaining why he feels so strongly about the Philippians.
Emotions are a tricky thing. As people, we are susceptible to being emotionally needy.
To some extent, everyone is emotionally needy before they meet Jesus. We all need to be reunited with our Father, God.
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is a story about an unmet need that remained hidden until foolish action revealed it.
In the story, a man’s son arrogantly demands his inheritance before his father is even dead. Amazingly, the father gives the son what he wants, and the son goes away. From the son’s perspective, he was free of the old man and everything he represented. From the father’s perspective his son was dead because of the way he had rejected the father.
Time passes.
For a while, the son has a great time on his father’s money. Everybody is his friend until the money is gone, and then, unsurprisingly, nobody shows him any interest.
Suddenly, he is in need.
His obvious need is physical. He is hungry and has no money to buy food. Coming to his senses he says to himself, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” (Verses 18-19)
His words show us that he recognizes his emotional need. He has done wrong, and he wants to repent. He doesn’t dare hope to be reunited with his father, but he believes his father will at least treat him as he would a hired hand.
The story doesn’t tell us about the son’s reaction to his father, but it does reveal the father’s emotions for his son. When he comes home, the father welcomes him with open arms, overjoyed that his son, who was dead, is now alive again.
Paul shares the father’s need for his children. Paul’s children, of course, are his churches, and the church in Philippi has a special place in his heart. Later in his letter, we see that they have been in contact with each other (Philippians 2:19-30). It appears that the Philippians’ concern for him has stirred Paul’s emotions to the point where he feels the need to justify them when he says, “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you …”
Application: Returning to the Father through Jesus Christ brings emotional healing.
Food for Thought: How do emotions bind us to God?
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