Rejoicing in Martyrdom
Philippians 2v16b-18
7th June 2024
Paul has been appealing to the Philippian Christians to
Philippians 2v14-16a
Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a
crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
as you hold out the word of life
Remarkably, he says he's asking them to do this:
Philippians 2v16b
in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for
nothing.
Of course, there are better reasons to live good, uncomplaining Christian lives. We do so primarily out of respect and gratitude to God. We do so also because we know that God rewards those who serve Him faithfully in love and purity. However, Paul feels able to add this personal reason - to please Paul and to ensure that he can can be proud of them on the Day of Judgement. He knows he can do this because he deserves their love and respect.
Paul continues this thought by saying:
Philippians 2v17-18
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and
service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
The Greek word translated as "service" here is leitourgos, from which we derive the word "liturgy". It carries a tone of public or priestly service. Through faith, the Philippians (and all true Christians) have given their lives and their whole selves to God in thankful worship. They themselves, and the acts of service they do in Christ's name, are a priestly sacrifice to God, an act of worship. Consider:
Romans 12v1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is
your true and proper worship.
We learnt in Chapter 1v20 that Paul knew there was a likelihood that he would soon be executed. He now describes that possible execution as "being poured out like a drink offering". He sees his potential martyrdom not as a disaster but as an act of worship to God (he later used the same metaphor in 2 Timothy 4v6).
The first Biblical drink offering is described in Genesis 35v14. Jacob built built an altar at Bethel, the place where God had first spoken to him, and "poured out a drink offering on it". We learn from Exodus 29v40 that, according to the Law of Moses, the drink offering consisted of about a litre of wine and that it was part of the morning and evening sacrifices. It accompanied the burnt offering and the grain offering. We also see in Leviticus 23v13 that it was included in the annual festival sacrifices.
Paul sees the Philippians' faithful lives as their "sacrifice and service" and he considered his own martyrdom to be analogous to a drink offering, which accompanied their sacrifice. He was glad about this, and invited the Philippians to rejoice with him.
He'd planted the church in Philippi, and had continued to care for the Christians there. He rejoiced in their salvation and in the sacrifices they'd made for Jesus. He was glad of their partnership with him in the work of the Gospel (Chapter 1v4-5) and he was proud of them. He considered martyrdom a price worth paying for the salvation of the Philippian Christians (and many others). More than that, he willingly accepted that the service he'd been able to offer to God in evangelising and caring for the Philippians (and many other churches) would end in his death, and he saw that death as the ultimate act of worship.
There are some things that are worth dying for. One is the eternal salvation of men and women. Another is the glory of God. A mature Christian, who is truly dedicated to God, who genuinely trusts God, and who truly values the things that are above more than the the things of this earth, can understand that it is a privilege to lay down ones life in worship and service to God.