Misery loves company.
Sometimes when we say that we mean it in a crass way. Miserable people tend to make the people around them miserable also. That cranky boss ends up making the entire office cranky.
But sometimes we mean it in a sympathetic way. Sometimes when we are miserable, what we most want and need is someone to share in our pain. Someone to sit down with us and hold us. Someone to make us feel we’re not alone.
The biblical word for this is “koinonia.” Fellowship. It’s an important word in Philippians. Paul uses a variation of the word in every chapter. [1] Not surprisingly, Paul uses it when describing the Philippians’ relationship with him in his time of need:
“14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only (4:14-15).
Literally Paul writes, “Yet it was kind of you to have fellowship together with me in my trouble…no church entered into fellowship with me in giving and receiving, except you only.” What Paul needed most from the Philippians in his “trouble” was fellowship. [2] Someone present with him. Someone to share his pain. And that’s exactly what he got from the Philippians. Paul is returning here to a theme which he introduced in Phil. 1. There, he remarked how joyful he was because of their “fellowship.” Paul ends the letter by rejoicing yet again in their “fellowship.” [3] What Paul longed for most was company in the midst of his misery.
The Philippians demonstrated a rare generosity that was far more than just sending a check. They gave their hearts. Their gifts grew out of a concern for Paul that was constant and ongoing (4:10) [4] The gifts represented a genuine fellowship on their part with Paul. And they had a habit and history of expressing this fellowship by the sending of gifts. [5]
And this partnership, not necessarily the gift itself, is what Paul celebrates here. This seems to be his meaning when he says, “Not that I seek the gift” (4:17). Paul’s learned the secret of being content in whatever situation he finds himself in, because even when he has nothing, he has Jesus, and thus has everything (4:11-13). Thus Paul was not desperate for the resources they sent as much as he was for the fellowship it represented. What the gift represented (an entire church pulling for him) mean more than just the gift itself. [6]
But Paul also celebrates what the gift represented to God. To Paul, the gift represented “fellowship.” To God, the gift represented “worship”:
“17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” (4:17-18)
As an act of worship, this act of generosity would not go unnoticed by God. [7]
This way of framing the generosity of the Philippians changed how both the Philippians and Paul looked at the gift. From the perspective of the Philippians, they were giving their gift to God, not simply to Paul. [8] Thus they should expect no gushing gratitude from Paul. God’s pleasure, not Paul’s, is ultimately what mattered. And from the perspective of Paul, God was the intended recipient–not Paul. Thus God’s mission and purposes must determine how the gift will be used, not Paul’s wishes and dreams.
Paul has literally received “all” and “more” and is thus well “supplied” (4:18). In the same way, Paul says, God will now “supply” “all” for the Philippians. God will do for them what they have done for Paul. Paul may mean this less as a statement of fact and more of a wish-prayer. [9] (This might be similar to the wish-prayers of Chapter 1.) Paul prays that the riches of heaven be made available for the Philippians on earth. [10]
And having celebrated the personal nature of their generosity, Paul now closes with personal greetings. [11] “In Christ” (perhaps referring to his Christ-like affection for them (1:8)) Paul greets those reading his letter. And, he sends along greetings from those ” who are with me,” including “all the saints” “especially those of Caesar’s household.” (4:21-22). [12]
Paul leaves them with two gifts of his own, both of which he introduced in the first chapter. His first gift is a reminder of who they are: “saints.” In 1:1 Paul addresses his letter “to all the saints.” And he closes with words about the “saints” in Philippi (4:21) and the “saints” who are with him (4:22). Paul wants to remind them who they are. They are the “holy ones.”
Paul’s second gift is a reminder of what they have: grace. He wished/prayed for “grace” for them in 1:2 and called them “partakers with me of grace” in 1:7. Now he closes by wishing for/praying for “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (4:23). This grace has come into their lives through Jesus Christ. [13] Paul prays that it will long remain. The gifts they’ve shared with Paul are but a reflection of the gift of grace given them by Jesus.
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[1] In each chapter, Paul uses the word group koinonia (fellowship/ partnership/ participation, 1: 5; 2: 1; 3: 10; 4: 15), Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 232-233). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[2] Paul uses this word one other time in Philippians: 1:17. It refers to the following:”trouble involving direct suffering —‘trouble and suffering, suffering, persecution.’ ‘therefore those who were scattered as a result of the trouble and suffering which took place at the time of Stephen’s (death)’ Ac 11:19; ‘and there will be at that time great suffering such as has not taken place since the beginning of the world’ Mt 24:21. For a number of languages ‘trouble and suffering’ may be expressed as ‘that which causes pain.’ Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible Societies.
[3] “As we shift our attention to 4: 10– 20 directly, the passage connects with Paul’s message throughout the letter in several significant ways. As noted above, it serves as an inclusio with 1: 3– 11 in stressing the key themes and vocabulary in the letter. For example, the notion of “beginning of the gospel” is found in 1: 5 and 4: 15. Again, the term synkoinonia (“ share with me”) is found in both 1: 7 and 4: 14. Philippians 4: 10– 20 also includes key vocabulary found throughout, such as the verb “to think,” “have this attitude” (1: 7; 2: 2– 5; 3: 15, 19; 4: 2, 10). The refrain to “rejoice” resounds (1: 18; 3: 1; 4: 4, 10), as does the theme of sacrifice (2: 25, 30; 4: 18); Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5503-5508). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[4] The Philippians’ generosity to Paul was an ever-present sentiment: you were indeed concerned for me (literally, ‘keep on being concerned’), but you had no opportunity (verse 10). It would appear that it was not always easy for the Philippian church to communicate with Paul or to cater for him as they would have desired, but they maintained their concern even when they could not act on it. As soon as an opportunity opened up they were swift to grasp it. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (p. 215). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[5] For the apostle’s ministry at Thessalonica see Acts 17:1–9. The question raised by this verse hinges on the time of the Philippians’ gifts and the precise connotation of again and again. As Paul had cause to refer to his ‘toil and hardship’ (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8) at Thessalonica, it is likely that the gifts which came to him there made little difference to his economic condition. Even recalls with gratitude the speed with which the help came so soon after his departure from Philippi. The phrase again and again, kai hapax kai dis, can only mean ‘more than once’ (Moffatt) with no indication of the exact number of times.14 If the first word kai (‘and’) is not part of the expression (it is not translated in NIV), but rather a connective word, then the sense will be: ‘Both when I was at Thessalonica and more than once when I was in other places’ you sent a gift to help me in my need, chreia. Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, pp. 185–186). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Two phrases in Philippians 4: 15 require a closer look, namely, the statement that the Philippians were with Paul from “the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel,” and that they shared with him in “giving and receiving.” The first phrase likely points to the time recounted in Acts 16, when Paul first arrived in Philippi during his second missionary journey (see also the reference in Phil 1: 5, “from the first day until now”). Their forgiveness of sins and newfound acceptance by the one, true God involved a new beginning with a new “family,” a new community, and a new mission or purpose in life. The second phrase looks at the language of giving and receiving, drawing on the complex interrelated conventions governing economic exchange, patronage, and friendship. Paul may be using this language a bit tongue in cheek, with a touch of irony that one could speak of gifts exchanged between believers as contained within the sphere of economic discourse. He uses the social conventions, but he reshapes them in light of the gospel. As Bockmuehl notes: “Full mutuality in friendships and other equal relationships were essential if an outstanding debt of obligation was not to degenerate into discord or dependency.” 43 Fee warns of another pitfall, that of competition between friends, leading to “one-up-manship.” 44 Paul steers between being dependent and competitive by focusing on the singular goal they shared, namely, the advancement of the gospel and their common identity in Christ. Paul reviews here the Philippians’ giving to him. Their giving extended beyond Paul’s residence in Macedonia, but it did include immediate assistance when he stayed in Thessalonica directly after leaving Philippi. Paul begins with the larger picture in 4: 15, noting that when he left Macedonia, their giving continued. Paul traveled to Corinth by way of Athens (Acts 17: 13– 18: 1). After being in Corinth for an unspecified amount of time (but at least a few Sabbaths), Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia with financial gifts that enabled Paul to leave his tentmaking with Priscilla and Aquila and devote all of his time to preaching (18: 5). Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 11: 8– 9, when he defends his decision to accept gifts from the Macedonian brothers and sisters, speaking there specifically of the Philippian believers. 45 Thus their gifts sent to support him in Corinth remained a significant measure of their commitment to Paul and his ministry in Christ. In 4: 16, Paul narrows his focus, highlighting that even when he was next door, so to speak, in the city of Thessalonica (about ninety miles away on the Via Egnatia, a “superhighway” of the day), the Philippians sent financial help to him “more than once.” This was much appreciated, although it did not cover all his expenses, as indicated in 1 Thessalonians 2: 9: “Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (see also 2 Thess 3: 8). Paul reflects with joy on the steadfast support of the Philippians. The gap in time between their gifts was only a lack of opportunity, not an indication of their lessening commitment. In a sense, their perseverance matches Paul’s own — although Paul traveled extensively and the Philippians remained in their city, both demonstrated remarkable loyalty to each other. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5620-5646). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[6] But notice that Paul does not say that it was good of them to give him money for his ministry. Instead, he indicates that they shared with him in his troubles, probably referring to his imprisonment (see also 1: 17; the same verb, without the prepositional prefix “with,” occurs in 4: 15). The idea is that the Philippians were partners in Paul’s ministry. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5582-5584). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Tim Woodroof, in A Distant Presence (Nav Press, 2001), 207-216, provides a wonderful image of how personal this gift was and what it would have been like for Paul to receive Epaphroditus and the gifts (PDF here).
[7] What the Philippians gave as their gift was like an investment which would repay rich dividends in the service of the kingdom, as accumulating interest (karpos; cf. Moulton-Milligan on a related word with karpeia) stands to the credit (logos) of the depositor. At the last day such generous and unstinted service which expressed itself in practical monetary support would not go unrecognized or unrewarded (cf. 1:11). This is the ambition of Paul for his benefactors: it is surely a most remarkable way of saying ‘Thank you’ to the Philippians. Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 186). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Just as the Philippians worship through their gift of generosity, so Paul worships with a note of praise which seems to flow not only from the reception of the gift, but also seems to conclude the entire letter (“‘The doxology flows from the joy of the whole Epistle’, says Bengel, i.e. it is Paul’s fitting response to all the things which cause him joy in his prison experience.” Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 189). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
[8] In 4: 18 Paul states what the Philippians believe also to be true, that their gift to Paul was really a gift to God, to the gospel, in obedience to Christ. Thus, Paul cannot reciprocate, because the gift was not meant for him to begin with. It was not “his” money — it was God’s money. There is an important twofold message here. First, to the giver: you must reckon your gift as unto God, not to any person or entity. There is great freedom in that acknowledgment, but no glory from humans. Second, to the recipient: you must reckon the gift as God’s, to accomplish purposes that might not line up with your own dreams. Paul never imagined that his hope to visit Rome would be accomplished with free transport chained to a Roman soldier! But the recipient should note that the gift is not designed to build up his or her ego or reputation; in fact, it might lead to humiliation. But God will be exalted, in his time and for his purposes. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5677-5684).
[9] Now, Paul reassures them, God will not fail to meet their need as they have not been remiss in meeting his. Michaelis takes this view, citing 2 Corinthians 8:2 as evidence of the ‘present external, distressed condition’ of the Philippian church at that time. Support for his view is found in the use of the words will meet, pl?r?sei (which is the same term as the verb translated ‘I am amply supplied’ in v. 18) and needs, chreia, which is again used of the apostle’s need in 4:16 and earlier in 2:25. On this reading, what Paul is holding out to his Philippian friends is a reassurance of the faithfulness of God who, as he has supplied the material need of his servant, is able to supply all their needs too. The precise meaning of will meet as a wish-prayer, not a statement of fact, is a helpful insight. Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 188). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[10] And as if this were not reassurance enough to carry with us into the future, Paul adds the words in glory. It is hard to know precisely what they mean. They may supplement the verb ‘supply’: ‘He will supply … in glory’, that is ‘in glorious measure’. They may describe the riches: ‘He will supply in a measure appropriate to his glorious riches’. They may mean ‘in the glory (-land)’—all the resources of heaven laid at the disposal of the Christian on earth. Such is the wealth of his supply. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (p. 221). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[11] In all of Paul’s letters he offers closing remarks. Those in Philippians are brief in comparison to others, such as the long list of friends greeted in Romans 16: 1– 27 (see also 1 Cor 16: 19– 24; 2 Cor 13: 12– 14; 1 Thess 5: 25– 28). Paul uses the plural imperative as he asks that each saint be greeted. To whom is Paul referring? Some wonder if Paul is calling on the overseers and deacons mentioned in Philippians 1: 1 as those responsible to make sure the letter is read to all. 1 Regardless of whom he intends, Paul is asking his own greetings are delivered to each saint “in Christ Jesus.” This clause probably modifies both the greetings and the saints. Thus Paul greets them in the Lord, and each saint is also in the Lord. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5875-5880). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[12] Paul extends the greetings from those with him, although only “those who belong to Caesar’s household” are singled out. These people were likely imperial clients, slaves, or freedmen and freedwomen who were part of the extensive entourage that managed Caesar’s vast estates and civil affairs. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5881-5883). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Among the Christian believers who are identified with Paul in his greeting, although we should not suppose that they were actually in prison with him, a special group is singled out for particular mention, those who belong to Caesar’s household. The occasion of this greeting may conceivably have been the link of special interest between the Christian members of the imperial staff on government service at the place of Paul’s imprisonment and the Christian citizens of Philippi which was a Roman military colony. The reference to Caesar’s household (the Greek words, hoi ek t?s Kaisaros oikias would be equivalent to the Latin familia Caesaris) has been regarded as confirming the Roman captivity of the apostle as the background of the letter; but it is clear that it cannot mean the family of the emperor or members of the court circles at Rome. The translation ‘Imperial slaves’ (Moffatt) unduly narrows this group to the slaves by omitting other members of the freedmen class, unless ‘slaves’ is taken in the broader sense of ‘servants’, i.e. civil servants. See some evidence drawn from Romans 16:3–16 in Bruce. But the term is flexible, and could include those in government service in any city including Ephesus (Getty). The state of affairs which has just been described would equally apply to Ephesus where there is inscriptional evidence of the presence of ‘Caesar’s house’, i.e. members of ‘Government House’, in the service of the emperor as civil servants and government officials. Dibelius quotes an inscription showing how members of the civil service, both freedmen and slaves, formed themselves into collegia or guilds as servants of ‘our Lord Augustus’. No decisive result on the question of the locality of Paul’s place of writing can be gained, therefore, from this verse. Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 190). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[13] “Christ” is used 37 times in Philippians; “Jesus” 22 times.
