For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
(Philippians 1:21-30)
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One of my favourite movies is “What About Bob.” It's a comedy – and in my opinion at least, one of the funniest movies ever. Richard Dreyfuss played Dr. Leo Marvin. Leo is a famous psychologist who's just published a book about a new therapy he's developed. Bill Murray played Bob Wylie, a troubled neurotic who's afraid of pretty much everything and who seeks out Leo for help. Bob becomes uncomfortably attached to Leo, and begins essentially stalking him – even travelling to be with him when Leo goes on vacation. Leo can't escape from him. One of the things I truly love about this movie is the great ending. After Leo spends the whole movie desperately trying to shake Bob off, in the last scene we discover that the roles have completely reversed. Bob becomes a famous psychologist and a published author celebrated for a new treatment he's developed (and getting married to Leo's sister to add insult to injury) while Leo has been reduced to an incoherent quivering mass of jelly totally unable to function. It's a gradual and brilliant evolution of the two characters, and it's not at all what you would have expected from either when the movie opened.
And, in a way, that's what life is like, isn't it. Things don't always happen the way we expect them to happen. The candidate with the most votes doesn't always win the election. Just ask Al Gore about that. The smartest person doesn't always get the best grades. Although it's a myth that Einstein failed mathematics, it's true that he dropped out of high school, and only later gained a degree in physics after struggling to get accepted to university because of his lack of a high school diploma. And the best team doesn't always win the Stanley Cup. In 1938, the Chicago Black Hawks won only 14 of the 48 games they played in the regular season, but went on to beat Montreal, New York and Toronto in the playoffs and emerged as champions. And – as we all know – sometimes bad things happen to good people. Life doesn't always work out the way we expect it to. There was even someone who once said “the last shall be first.” Go figure that one out! I think that Paul had such things on his mind as he penned these verses in the letter he wrote to the church at Philippi.
“... it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” These words of Paul cut against the grain. Many people have a mindset that says that faith is a magic elixir that's supposed to make things better. I think that's especially the case among people who are new to the faith, because most people come to faith because of some sort of trial or challenge in their lives, and they believe that faith is – to an extent at least – the answer. And, obviously there's great comfort to be found in faith. I've felt it at various times over the years when faced with hardships; I hope all of you have felt it as well. But we still fall into the trap sometimes of looking at faith from a simple reward-punishment perspective. As long as things are good (or at least getting better) then faith works; otherwise, something's wrong, and maybe we should just give up on faith. But Paul isn't under that illusion. We aren't only to believe in Christ, he says, but to suffer for him – and both are gifts given by God. That's quite a gift, isn't it. It cuts against the grain, as I said. It doesn't seem to make sense. Suffering is not what we expect out of faith. 21st century culture goes to great lengths to make life more fun and fulfilling. We tend to admire people who succeed in life or who fulfil their dreams. Faith should help us do that. Right? I understand people thinking that way. After all, there aren't many role models for the idea that “dying is gain,” as Paul wrote at the beginning of today's passage. And let's face it – a lot of the best known Christians in the world today who come to represent what Christianity is about for a lot of people aren't suffering much. They have private jets and mansions and various and sundry other perks. I myself drive a 2005 Chevy Optra with almost 180000 kilometres on it. Let me tell you - it doesn't get much better than that! And some people think Christian faith should promise wealth and riches and success and health and prosperity of every kind. But that's a very secular way of looking at faith that buys into the idea that it's all about getting more and doing well and living the high and easy life. But where did Jesus ever say that? Where did Paul ever say that?
Paul's context is important here. Most people believe that Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison in Rome, knowing that his imprisonment might lead to his death. So he had a unique perspective on this subject. He had given up everything to follow Jesus, and what was his reward? A prison cell and possible execution. The church at Philippi was a special community to Paul. He had a close relationship with them. They had probably heard of his plight. Perhaps they had begun to question the value of faith. If this could happen to Paul, perhaps they were asking – then what's the point? And Paul wants to encourage them. It's as if he's saying, “don't be surprised. This is what you should expect if you really belong to Christ.” But why? It's not what the Philippians expected. To add to their confusion, the Philippians themselves may have been starting to experience the first pangs of persecution, as the Roman Empire saw this movement beginning to grow and challenging the status quo.
Now – there's the rub. They threatened the status quo. Jesus, Paul, the Philippians – all these nuisance Christians were threatening the status quo. We don't like the status quo being threatened. At least, those who benefit from the status quo don't like it, and even those who don't benefit from it at least find the familiar way of doing things comfortable and would often rather just be left alone. And, I believe, this is why Paul wanted the Philippians (and all Christians) to understand that faith wasn't always going to be a walk in the park. There were times when it would be a long and hard journey, because if we really take Jesus seriously, we're going to confront some of the same resistance from the strong and powerful that he encountered. You can't say to a society that the “last shall be first” and not expect some pushback from those who are first! I talked with the children about entry drafts in sports that were put in place to help the weaker teams by in theory at least letting them draft the best players available. It took the NHL until 1969 to actually implement a full entry draft system, though, because the stronger teams fought for a long time to maintain their hold on the best players. And that was just sports. Apply the principle to life in general. The powerful don't like those who stand against the status quo. Living by the principle “the last shall be first” and by many of the other teachings of Jesus helps us understand why “it has been granted to [us] on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him ...”
There's a danger to this way of thinking. If we personalize what Paul says too much then we get into the trap of suggesting that people should just put up with suffering or abuse as if it's some sort of badge of honour to be an abused wife. That's not the point Paul's making, and I'm not suggesting that we should welcome or invite either suffering or persecution. This is on a bigger level than that of individuals. As a community, if we truly live by Jesus' standards, we'll invite notice – and some won't be happy with us. Listen to these words: “The last shall be first.” “The weak shall be strong.” “The meek shall inherit the earth.” “There is neither slave nor free.” In Luke 1, in Mary's Song – before Jesus was born – Mary said of God that “he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” These are all radical and even revolutionary words. All the distinctions our society makes to differentiate between those on the top and those on the bottom are to be done away with. These principles do invite trouble if we live by them. It's no wonder why historically Christianity has always appealed most to the poor and outcast – and still does. If we truly live by the teachings of Jesus then who else would stand by the poor and the outcast more than Christians? And who else would expect to face opposition more than Christians?
I'm not saying that we should invite suffering or persecution to come onto ourselves. But I am saying that we should be prepared as a community to take the risk of challenging the way things are, of holding up a vision where all people are treated as God's children, where all that divides is set aside, where we don't measure a person's value by the size of their bank account or by the make of car that they drive; a vision of a society in which all people are valued and respected and treated with dignity simply because they are loved by God. That will rub a few people the wrong way. It might even cause us a bit of trouble. And that may not be what the world has conditioned us to expect from faith; it might not be quite what we expected as people trying to live by God's desire. But we would be living like Jesus. So it might just be worth it.
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