Pressing toward God’s Goal in Christ—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 19A (Philippians 3:4b-14)

 Philippians 3:4b-14 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

^4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

⁷ Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

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                Paul might be sitting, along with his companion Timothy, in a jail cell somewhere in the Roman Empire, but he tells the churches in Philippi that he has confidence that no matter what happens to him, whether he lives or dies, he is on the right path. That path leads to the “heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Paul has already declared his readiness to die, if that is God’s pleasure. At the same time, he believes he has work to do that requires him to keep living. As I pointed out in an earlier post, Paul might have been experiencing a bit of depression due to his imprisonment. Nevertheless, he is also confident that God still has need of his efforts on behalf of the Gospel.

                Our reading starts off with Paul taking note of why he might put his confidence in the flesh, focusing on his place within his Jewish context. He tells us that he was circumcised on the eighth day, answering those who might question his change of heart on the matter of circumcision. Secondly, as a member of the people of Israel, he traced his heritage to the Tribe of Benjamin. Thus, he is a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” If anyone should question his heritage, he has a ready answer. Yes, he has been reaching out to Gentiles, seeking to draw them into the people of God, but he won’t let anyone question his heritage.  Pushing further, when it comes to the Law (Torah), he is a Pharisee. When it comes to zeal for his people, he was a persecutor of the church (at least until his Damascus Road experience, which he doesn’t mention here). Finally, when it comes to following the Law, he was righteous. Daniel Migliore comments that Paul isn’t concerned that he failed to keep the law, because he was as observant as any Jew, including his opponents.

No, Paul claims that he strictly adhered to the law, and by its standards he was ‘blameless.’ Not of course, blameless in the sense of commendable or at least beyond reproach. Life under the law for Paul was not a miserable failure but, seen apart from Christ, a remarkable success.  [Migliore, Philippians and Philemon, Belief, p. 123]

So, Paul had proper confidence in his identity as an observant Jew. Then comes the big “but.”

                In verse 7, Paul declares that all of the things that should give him confidence in his piety are worth nothing because of Christ. He is willing to give up his status as a pious Jew to follow Jesus. He then goes further by declaring that it’s not just his status as a pious Jew, but everything when it comes to knowing Christ. Here is where he alludes to his own situation sitting in a prison cell somewhere in the Roman Empire. He has suffered the loss of everything he had held dear to follow Jesus. In comparison to what following Jesus brings him, everything else is mere rubbish. From now on, whatever righteousness he maintains is due to Christ, not from his own efforts. Indeed, the righteousness of God is something that comes through faith. By faith, I’m sensing that Paul means more than affirming a set of beliefs. Rather, it is putting one’s trust in Christ who provides a path of righteousness.

                In the opening chapter, Paul declared that “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phil.1:21 KJV). Here in chapter 3, he returns to that sentiment, declaring: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead” ( Phil. 3:10-11). Though he may share in Christ’s sufferings in this life as he pursues his mission to the Gentiles, he holds out hope in the resurrection.

                As we ponder Paul’s message to this point in our reading, perhaps it is worth considering the things we put our confidence in. Is my advanced education or ordination of eternal value or simply tools for something greater? Is my American citizenship, race, or gender of eternal value or in the end nothing but rubbish when it is compared to Christ? Is this not what Paul is thinking here as he considers his own life story? Yes, he can put confidence in his heritage, but where does that get him in the end? I think that is what Paul is thinking here.  We don’t need to feel bad about our identity, but in the end what matters is Christ. That includes the hope of the resurrection— “to live is Christ, to die is gain,” or so says Paul.

                Our reading closes with Paul looking forward. To that point in his life, he had not yet reached his goal. Nevertheless, he is going to press on so that he can make the goal his own. That is because Christ has made Paul his own. Therefore, he is letting go of the past, including all of his achievements, even if accrued to him not by his own actions but because of his place in life before coming to Christ—such as being a Hebrew of Hebrews. Therefore, he will strain forward to what lies ahead. What lies ahead is the goal: “the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” In other words, the resurrection. The imagery Paul draws on is that of a runner seeking to cross the finish line. As St. John Chrystom writes:

Thus too we should act, we should forget our successes, and throw them behind us. For the runner reckons not up how many circuits he hath finished, but how many are left. We too should reckon up, not how far we are advanced in virtue, but how much remains for us. For what doth that which is finished profit us, when that which is deficient is not added?” [JohnChrysostom, “Homily XII,” NPNF]  

So, let us keep focused on what lies ahead, forgetting what lies behind, for that cannot sustain us. Thus, Paul is striving for the finish line and inviting us to do the same.