Contentment, Joy, and the Gift

I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.
Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble. And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica on more than one occasion you sent something for my need. I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account. For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent – a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God. And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.
Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers with me here send greetings. All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit (Philippians 4:10-23).

Thanks had been given; the situation was appropriately updated; exhortations had been made. At the very end, Paul decided to explicitly address the gift of the Philippians. But what kind of “thank you” message was this?

Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia (part of modern Greece); Paul first visited the area and preached Jesus around 51 (cf. Acts 16:11-40). Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi most likely around 60-61 from Rome while living under house arrest there (cf. Philippians 1:1). Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians in order to provide them assurance and encouragement regarding his house arrest in Rome and to exhort them to continue to live as faithful citizens of the Gospel and to privilege their heavenly commonwealth (Philippians 1:1-4:1). Paul wanted the Philippian Christians to live that out by agreeing with one another, rejoicing, and sharing in the peace of the Lord (Philippians 4:2-9).

Once Paul had completed the peroration component of this letter in Philippians 4:9, it would have proven conventional to then present the standard aspects of an epistolary conclusion: perhaps some personal messages; conveyance of greetings; and a final message from the Lord. We find these components in Philippians 4:21-23: Paul greeted all the Christians of the church in Philippi, and conveyed the greetings of both the fellow brothers with him as well as “all the saints,” especially those in “Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22). Caesar’s household would have included not only the Emperor and his closest family members but also all the servants and slaves which ran the imperial household; we believe the Christians who were members of Nero Caesar’s household would have most likely come from among these slaves. The appeal to the saints in Caesar’s household represents the best evidence Paul was writing to the Philippian Christians during his time of house arrest in Rome. Asking for the grace of the Lord to be with them all represented a standard and appropriate conclusion to the letter (Philippians 4:23).

As we can tell, however, Paul did not exactly follow convention, because Philippians 4:10-20 stands between his peroration in Philippians 4:4-9 and the conclusion of the letter in Philippians 4:21-23. In it, Paul felt compelled to explicitly address the gift sent by the Philippian Christians by means of Epaphroditus (Philippians 4:18).

Paul began by expressing his joy at the renewed concern of the Philippian Christians for him; he did not assume they had no regard for him in the meantime, but they lacked opportunity (Philippians 4:10). “Thought,” or “concern,” represent socially appropriate circumlocutions for financial support, as the rest of the passage will make abundantly clear. Paul then wanted to make it clear he was not actually in any need, for he had learned how to prove content no matter his circumstances; at times he had abounded, at times he was in need, but in all things he could endure because of how God in Christ strengthened him (Philippians 4:11-13). Paul used some terms with technical valence in Greek: “content” in Philippians 4:11 is autarkes, one of the strong aspirations of conduct in Stoic thought; NET “I have learned the secret” in Philippians 4:12 translates memuemai, a verb commonly used in Greek to convey initiation into mysteries and mystery cults. Paul used these references most likely because they were understood by his audience and not to commend either Stoicism or mystery cults; if anything, by pointing to finding contentment no matter what because of his standing in Christ, he resisted those pagan viewpoints.

Many have been struck by the way Paul addressed the support he received from the Philippian Christians, for it certainly sounds like Paul was saying he was glad they were concerned for him, but he did not really need anything and had found contentment in Jesus, thank you very much. It does seem odd and it is certainly not the standard “thank you” message we would expect. Yet perhaps some of what Paul would continue to say might shed some light on why Paul approached the subject in this way, because Paul would go on to say they did well to share in his difficulty/trouble (Philippians 4:14).

Paul bore witness to, and commended again, the Philippian Christians for being the only ones to share in giving and receiving with Paul “at the beginning of his ministry,” even sending support more than once in Thessalonica while he was there and in need (Philippians 4:15-16). We presume this support was sent very soon after the establishment of the church in Philippi while Paul was in Thessalonica around 50 (Acts 17:1-9). Understanding what Paul meant by the “beginning of the gospel” remains a challenge: Paul had been preaching the Gospel for many years and in many places before he arrived in Macedonia; conceiving of his work in Macedonia as the beginning of his work in Europe reflects later characterizations and not contemporary frameworks. Paul returned to the language of accounting in Philippians 4:17: he was not seeking a gift, but was more than happy to receive it so that it might become a credit to their account. He then spoke explicitly of the gift they sent by Epaphroditus, assuring them he had received the gift in its fulness; he then shifted metaphors, speaking of the gift like a sacrifice offered before God, a “fragrant aroma,” and well-pleasing before Him (Philippians 4:18). We can appreciate the use of both metaphorical vehicles to convey the gift and its value; we should resist any temptation to start conceiving of sharing with others in terms of mere accounting alone and presume we can earn God’s favor by giving to others. He then concluded his discussion of the gift with a prayer which sounds like a statement of confidence, declaring how God would supply their every need through His glorious riches in Christ, and gave glory to God the Father (Philippians 4:19-20).

Paul’s whole Letter to the Philippians communicated Paul’s great love and appreciation of the Christians in Philippi, and so we do well to give Paul the benefit of the doubt regarding how he addressed the gift they sent. Therefore, we would not do well to consider Paul as presenting a “thankless thanks” regarding the gift. At the same time, we cannot help but notice how Paul’s response to the gift was not marked by the kind of extravagant and effusive praise which would suggest a desire to receive more or again.

We do well to remember the prevalence of the patron-client relationship in Greco-Roman society: patrons gave financial resources to clients with the expectation clients would glorify and honor them in appropriate contextual ways. Among more social equals we also find a lot of reciprocal kinds of giving, in which some gift or benefit was given with the expectation the giver would receive some kind of gift or benefit in response, and these cycles of reciprocity were expected to remain ongoing and continue.

These socio-cultural aspects might well explain why Paul often remains uncomfortable with all things related to financial support, especially among the Greeks, as indicated here in Philippians but also in the Corinthian correspondence. It is not as if Paul is against giving gifts, receiving gifts, or being financially supported to promote the Gospel; but Paul might well have concerns and hesitance regarding some of the expected social obligations which may come with receiving such gifts and how that might influence his ability to effectively and well exhort them in the Gospel of Christ.

It has also been suggested Paul wanted to find a way to communicate his appreciation for what the Philippian Christians had provided in such a way they would understand how he was thankful but did not need anything more so they would not send any further financial support in the future. There is much to commend this viewpoint: Paul did express joy and appreciation for the Philippian Christians and all they had done for him before, established full receipt of the gift (so Epaphroditus would remain blameless), but also conveyed his current satisfaction and contentment, appreciating the gift more for what it would mean for the Philippian Christians to be able to give to him than for him to benefit by it.

And beyond all this, of course, was Paul’s concern lest anyone think he preached the Gospel in order to make a living, and a very good living at that. Paul was not at all preaching Jesus for profit and did not want to insinuate anything of the sort in any of his communications. Such might also help explain why Paul was at pains to describe how he could be content in any circumstance and was not actually in need of the gift. Perhaps he actually was not really in need and had all of his basic needs met at that particular moment; perhaps he told the Philippian Christians as much to allay their concerns about him no matter what his present situation actually looked like. Either way, Paul did not at all want them to think he needed their money or preached in order to get money from them.

We do well to at least be aware of all of these possible situations and issues which lay beneath the surface of the text in Philippians 4:10-20, especially as we attempt to apply what Paul said to the Philippian Christians in our own context. We all do well to also be initiated into contentment in whatever circumstances we find ourselves so we might find ways to glorify God in Christ in the times during which we abound as well as in the times during which we may find ourselves in greater need. We also do well to affirm our capacity to endure all things through the strength God provides for us in Christ through His Spirit, which is the spirit of what Paul was saying in Philippians 4:13. It is not at all appropriate to interpret and apply Paul as if a modern self-help guru of a Stoic, treating the situation as if God in Christ is the ultimate power-up and power boost in life, or the ultimate means of self-actualization. Instead of looking to Stoicism (one of the most prevalent philosophies of the day) or mystery cults (one of the most popular forms of religious devotion of the day), Paul appropriated their language to describe how he had been initiated into contentment through his trust in the ways of God in Christ. Likewise, we can also appropriate whatever good we might find in popular and prevalent philosophies and religious devotions of our day, but only if we do so in terms of what God has accomplished in Christ and according to His Spirit.

Paul, therefore, found a way to communicate his appreciation for the financial gift provided by the Philippian Christians while affirming his present contentment and satiety, instead joyfully celebrating in the gift and the spirit of giving they displayed. May we be likewise initiated into the contentment we can only find in God in Christ through His Spirit, give as we have opportunity, receive so others might give, and entrust ourselves fully to God who can and will supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ!

Ethan R. Longhenry