Paul’s Heart Revealed
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.’ Philippians 2:25-27
Paul was not a “super apostle.” He was an apostle, and an extraordinary one at that. But he was a human being and subject to all the vulnerabilities that go with humanity.
Paul really was glad to have Epaphroditus with him and was equally horrified at the possibility of him dying. Epaphroditus recovered and Paul didn’t have to face yet another sorrow piled on top of what he was already experiencing. He was in prison as he wrote this and was facing a very uncertain future.
A few verses after those above Paul tells the church emphatically to rejoice (3:1). Does rejoicing remove the human emotion of grief? Was it contradictory to tell others of your extreme sadness and then that they need to focus on God and get happy?
Paul knew that Jesus had won the victory over the powers of evil and would one day fill the world with His love and justice, raising us to new life in His final kingdom. That sustained Him and kept Him going. Rejoicing comes out of hope and hope relates to the certain future we know is coming.
But we live in this present world in a human body that feels physical and emotional pain. Paul had learnt to live his present life in the light of God’s ultimate victory.
Jesus did the same thing, ‘who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame’ (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus cried in real agonising emotion both at Lazarus’ death (John 11:35) and at Gethsemane (Hebrews 5:7). He knew the final victory was coming but experienced very human emotions while on earth.
Learn the secret. Focus on eternity, on Christ’s victory, on the knowledge that Christ reigns now as sovereign King of the Universe and will reign openly over the new creation.
Live this life in the light of the next.
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