March 15, 2016

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count 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 that which comes through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9)

Paul is making an important statement in this passage. He has just laid out what gains he had as a Jew, and a Pharisee: “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:5-6). He was a Hebrew of Hebrews – in other words, he did his job the best he could, to the degree that he felt he must, to gain righteousness before G-d. But now, now he was no longer a persecutor of the Church, he was one of its leading proponents. And all that he had gained in his previous life, he now considered as nothing, rubbish. It all means nothing to him – what matters now is his relationship with Christ – sustained by faith.

We spend so much of our lives trying to “gain” something – and some people try to gain a lot of things including possessions, money, and other material items. Some people struggle to gain money, fame, stuff, including power and prestige. This would have been the things that Paul would have had – he was a man of power and prestige. He was feared by many. But then he was thrown onto a new path – through his encounter with the “Risen Christ”. Nothing was the same after that. And whatever he had gained, or achieved he considered as rubbish – they no longer were important – he had another goal in mind.

Our encounters with the “Risen Christ” should do the same to us. An encounter with the “Risen Christ” should move us to live differently. Now, it is not possible for most people today to leave our former lives and follow a path of total devotion of Jesus. But, we are supposed to be changed by Christ – living differently, if not putting away some of our needs for possessions – and to use that money to help the poor and the needy.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all. [ISAAC WATTS]

Pastor Dave