Philippians 1 – The Happy Prisoner
The book of Philippians is a short letter that is permeated with the joy of Paul over the people at Philippi and the joy of knowing Christ is at work in them and in his own circumstances.
The church in Philippi was the first Christian congregation in Europe. The town was a Roman colony, named after Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC. In Paul’s time, it was filled with retired Roman soldiers and Roman citizens who fully supported Caesar and the Roman government. There was a lot of resistance to the message of Christ, and this resistance was also expressed towards the new followers of Christ.
Paul was writing from Prison in Rome to this congregation in Philippi and it is amazing how often Paul mentions joy in this book.
- ‘I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now’ (Philippians 1:3–5).
- ‘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’ (Philippians 1:25).
- ‘Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind’ (Philippians 2:2).
- ‘Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends’ (Philippians 4:1).
Remarkable!
Paul does not write to correct doctrine or bad conduct, but simply to thank God for the believers in Philippi. The book is infused with his joy over these people.
But how is this possible? Paul was writing from prison. How can a prisoner who has been falsely accused and arrested by the Roman government write such a book filled with joy? You would expect a tone of bitterness, protest, anger, or resentment, not joy.
Afterall it was in Philippi that Paul had been imprisoned in stocks after preaching the Gospel. He had spent a night in prison in Philippi there earlier on. You would think that such memories would bring back resentment.
Most prisoners today are unhappy. Many are them are unhappy all the time. A good number contemplate suicide or self-mutilation. Being a prisoner is a terrible experience. Yet here is Paul in prison, full of joy.
There is only one answer to this enigma, and that is Jesus. Paul knows Jesus as his Messiah and Saviour. When Jesus is present in one’s life, there is resounding joy.
Eli Stanley Jones (1884–1973) was an American Methodist Christian missionary. He worked extensively in India. He is best remembered for his book, The Christ of the Indian Road. In 1938, he was called by Time magazine, ‘the world’s greatest Christian missionary’.
E Stanley Jones is quoted as saying, ‘When I met Christ, I felt that I had swallowed sunshine’. What amazing joy.
Happiness comes and goes. Depending on the circumstances that we are experiencing, and what is happening in our lives, we may feel happy or sad. We are happy when things are going well but unhappy when things go badly. But when we have discovered Jesus, the joy is always there, whether things are going positively or negatively. Where Jesus is, there is joy!
When you are tempted to look at all that is going wrong around you, when you can only see pain and decay, think of Paul in prison and how he found joy in Jesus. Turn to Jesus beside you, in you, and let him turn your gloom into joy.
Pastor Robert Bartholomaeus
Bishop NSW, ACT and LCNZ Districts
This article was originally published in the June edition of Contact, a magazine of the NSW–ACT District.