For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

2:28   I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.

Paul has spent the last few verses speaking of Epaphroditus, of his character, his sickness, his impact on the apostle and the expected response of the Philippian church.

But note that Paul is now stating a somewhat obvious fact, coupled with two anticipated responses. An obvious fact Carl? Yes, when Epaphroditus turns up in Philippi with this letter for the church, (for most scholars would say he was the courier), isn’t it obvious that Paul sent him back?

Or might Paul be emphasizing something other than the obvious. Maybe he is emphasizing his attitude in sending Epaphroditus, his eagerness to provide this servant back to the church, his desire to provide for his church at his own expense.

Remember that Epaphroditus was sent to Paul to provide time and money, and though the church’s missionary delivered the funds, his time of service was severely limited dues to his sickness. Yet Paul does not grasp at this lost opportunity for someone to provide a service for him. Instead, he is eager to send him back to the church, for the church’s sake, and as Paul mentioned earlier, for Epaphroditus sake.

So Paul is eager to send him back for thier sake. And he is thankful for the recovery God provided to his friend, so that he my be relieved of his own anxiousness.

Whoa Paul, I thought Christians were not to be anxious. Just a chapter later you will write

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Well, there is a simple explanation for this seeming hypocrisy, for the anxiousness Paul mentions in our verse today is a Greek word that speaks of being free from pain or grief, to be less sorrowful. Paul is speaking of the emotional environment he lives in due to the situation his brother and the Philippians are in.

An alternate reading of the passage fleshes this thought out somewhat better.

Philippians 2:28 NASB95 – Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned [about you.]

This “anxiousness” is other related!

In Phil 4:6, when Paul provides a commandment to the believers to not be anxious, he is referring to our common understanding of the cares and concerns of everyday life, of the “worrying” we enter into, that steals our joy.

This “anxiousness” is self related!

So Paul expresses his motivation in his eagerness to provide for the Philippians, his seeking “less sorrow” over the situation and that the Philippians would rejoice at seeing him.

Of course this last phrase may bring confirmation or regret within the congregation, depending on how Epaphroditus is welcomed home, but for some reason I want to think that the Philippians rejoiced at seeing their brother come home. If there were an element within the church that may still harbor feeling of disappointment in the success of Epaphroditus mission, this reminder to rejoice would hopefully quell that sentiment.

In our own lives, if there is opportunity for us to dwell on the failure of others, let us remember the definition of love, that Paul not only exhibits here, and encourages in his church, but explicitly describes for our own lives in another letter he wrote.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Help us O Lord to love one another the way you loved us!

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