Hebrew of Hebrews

Philippians 3:1-11 Shrove Tuesday, Year 2

The race... of Israel. The tribe... of Benjamin... Of law... a Pharisee. Of zeal... a persecutor of Christians. Of Torah righteousness... perfect. He doesn't add his Roman citizenship here but Paul was definitely the right sort... IF one were to put confidence in flesh.

Today's scholars agree that Paul didn't write all the letters attributed to him. To me that says, look at how many he DID write, including this one. Our Paul was a real man, who had everything in the way of credentials and counted it all refuse ("skewbalon" = "dung") for Jesus. For the Gospel he suffered shipwreck, mockery, and he even fought with wild beasts in Ephesus. Here he writes from prison, debating rival missionaries who claimed that conversion to Christianity meant you had to become a circumcized Jew first.

Circumcision represented holiness; that's why Paul says "WE are the circumcision." The carnal kinships (for "sarx" in Greek means sinful human nature; flesh; kinships) won't save you. What matters is to know Christ... to "be found in him" ... to have the righteousness from God that depends on faith... not his own following the law so perfectly ... to suffer with him (!)

Does Paul's passion put us off maybe? Oh, great, give up my reliance on privilege, a big carbon footprint, and an Ivy League education to fling myself into suffering with Christ? To pursue a death like Christ's as my goal? Or even give up sweets for Lent?

The good news is that we have already gone through that death in the waters of baptism. That is the holiness/circumcision that Paul teaches. We have already been laid hold of (as Paul says of himself in v. 12). It was when I realized the day of my baptism was the most important day of my life that I began to really live. As I increasingly realize the surpassing worth of God's blessings to me, I start thinking that despite all my carnal fear and sloth I somehow have to find a way to share it.

I know Paul is right; entering Lent I pray for his courage.