Tonight, we are concluding our discussion of Paul’s letter to the Philippians with our reading of Philippians 4. At the very end of his letter, Paul addresses one last issue with the Philippians. If you have time before this evening, please read through the entire letter.
On Giving and Receiving: (vv.10-20)
The last subject matter of Paul’s letter is the monetary relationship between Paul and the Philippian congregation. In most areas of life, but particularly in ministry, the subject of money is always a difficult conversation. Within these verses, Paul is both thanking the Philippians for their support, but also telling them in the most polite manner possible, that this support is not necessary. Paul does not want to hurt their feelings but he also does not want to be in their debt.
As we have discussed, the Philippians had always monetarily supported Paul’s ministry. 2 Cor. 8:3. Phil. 4:15. In the immediate circumstance, Paul is imprisoned in Rome, and the government does not provide food, clothing, or other material needs for its detainees. The Philippians, once more, come to Paul’s aid.
Paul appears to be running into one of two problems. First, Paul probably wants to make sure that these gifts are not part of the Roman patronage system. Paul does not want to be a ward of the Philippian church because this would restrict his ministry opportunities should he be released. If the Philippians were his patron, then Paul would have an obligation to return to Philippi as an in-house teacher.
Alternatively, Paul wants to avoid the reciprocity inherent to gift-giving. Paul is facing a situation best explained by Dr. Shelton Cooper in this VIDEO (The Big Bang Theory: Season 2, Episode 11). Paul is sensitive about receiving compensation. 1 Cor. 11:8-9.
Paul cannot simply return the monetary gift from the Philippians, because that would be impolite. Instead, Paul judiciously thanks them for their gift, pointing out that he did not ask for the assistance. v.18. Paul explicitly states that he and the Philippians are even, and that both parties only owe anything to God from whom all of their blessings come. v.18. Paul ends this last issue with the reminder that it is God who ultimately supplies all of our needs. v.19. In other words, Paul is saying “Thank you for the gift, but there is no reciprocity between us because we are both patronage clients of God above.”
The Benediction: (vv.21-23)
The benediction is similar to those of Paul’s other letters, and the language is almost a mirror image of Paul’s greeting in Philippians 1:1-2 with its emphasis on the saints of God and the grace of Christ Jesus. One of the intriguing features of the benediction is Paul’s mention of “those of Ceasar’s household.” We know that Paul never ceased his conversion efforts, even while imprisoned. Phil. 1:13. We also know that there was a very large and active church in Rome, which presumably would include those who worked for Ceasar. We do not know if there were specific people in Ceasar’s household who had connections with the Philippians (Philippi was a Roman colony) or if Paul simply wanted to end by emphasizing that even in the highest levels of power, the gospel was working.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is ratatouille with meat. Discussion about 6:45. Compline at 8. Hope to see everyone here! (We are not meeting next week.)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Phil. 4:23