… not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.
Summary: Looking at Paul’s letter from a human perspective reveals a Paul who is, like us, an imperfect vessel.
As you no doubt remember from our last meditation, Paul is talking about the people who preach Christ for unchristian reasons. So far, Paul has mentioned that they are motivated by “envy and rivalry” (Verse 15) and “selfish ambition” (Verse 17a). In this passage, he adds that they hope to “stir up trouble” for him while he is in prison.
Who would do such a thing, and why?
There are a lot of things we could talk about here. Who is stirring up trouble for Paul, and why? What kind of trouble are they “stirring up?” How does this translate to the divisions among churches today?
Instead of delving into these worthy topics, let’s take a slightly different tack and consider Paul himself.
Paul is a human being. It is true that God is speaking through him when he writes his letters. However, like the pen or the ink we choose to write with, Paul’s words leave us with an imprint of his personality as well as the words he is speaking on behalf of the Lord.
Remember that Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Ephesians:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Our struggle is not personal. It is not about you and me … or Paul. It is about Jesus and his message of salvation for all of humanity.
Is it really surprising that Paul, unfairly confined by false accusations and chains, is a little bit frustrated? Is it possible that the Paul who wrote the words describing who our struggle is with slipped for a moment? On the one hand, he tells us our enemy is not “flesh and blood,” and here, in this letter to the Philippians, he describes an enemy of flesh and blood? Are these two letters written by the same hand?
Yes.
Paul is a human being, too. Jesus didn’t call him to be perfect. Instead, he was called to be a herald to proclaim the name of Jesus far and wide (Acts 9:15).
Application: Remember that you and I are human.
Food for Thought: Who was the “trouble” in this passage really “stirred up” for?
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Interesting question brother. There are many ways to look at this. But while stirring up trouble for Paul, they might really be stirring up trouble for themselves as they must answer to an all powerful, holy and righteous God.
Thank you, Rich!
That is true! Perhaps they have forgotten that Job Number 1 is to “fear God.”
“Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.”
— Ecclesiastes 8:13
This is an interesting part of the passage, whereas when Paul speaks about suffering for Christ, he does so in joy, but here He speaks to other believers purposefully causing him trouble by preaching out of selfish ambition. Paul doesn’t go into the means, but the motive appears clear: in some way they feel threatened by Paul. It highlights insecurity on their part. So, in one way, the trouble being stirred up is an attempt to compensate for their own shortcomings. Rather than ask the Lord to be built up, they chose instead to tear Paul down. To me there is a resonance of the story of Cain and Abel in this passage.
Genesis 4:6-7 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
Thank you, Chris!
Perhaps Paul takes it personally because his opponents, as you have pointed out, are reacting to Paul personally. Interesting thought!