-Paul now prepares to tell us about HIS response, about the part he is playing in this great worldwide building project - and what actually comes out is a thirteen verse biopic detour that begins with twin truths about who Paul really is. He is a prisoner, a prisoner OF Christ, and a prisoner FOR the nations.
-The word for prisoner here refers to someone or something who is bound, tied (or possibly chained) up. It can refer to a donkey or to a bundle of sticks or to one held prisoner. The one thus bound is under the direct control of that which has bound them/it. Contained, no longer free. Paul of course had become well acquainted with this condition in real life (cf Acts 16.23-24), and if this letter was indeed written while Paul was in Rome, he would have been a prisoner for years at this point (Acts 21.33 is where his Jerusalem-to-Rome capitivity actually began). But it is more enlightening to consider WHO Paul holds responsible for the binding and their reason for doing so. So notice what he does not say here - he does not say that he is a prisoner of Rome, or of Caesar, or of the Jews who in fact were the ones most directly responsible for his imprisonment. No, he is a prisoner of Christ, and this works on two levels. In all likelihood, Paul is in prison or under some kind of house arrest in Rome at this time, but he sees the big picture, and knows Who is ultimately in control of the situation. It is neither the Romans, nor the Jews. Whether in prison or free, Christ is in control - He’s got this. And Paul knew that if he was literally in prison, it was because Christ had a reason for him to be there. But wait - there’s more. Paul was bound by Jesus in a much more all-encompassing sense, such that were he to find himself free from any physical bonds, his heart was forever bound by Christ. He at no time saw himself as being free and self-determinant. He had been bought with a price, and was no longer his own man, not at all free to go and say and do whatever and wherever whenever he pleased (1Corinthians 6.20). Yes, he was imprisoned when he wrote this, but he had been a prisoner ever since he surrendered his life to Jesus.
-Paul gives us the reason WHY he is imprisoned as well - for the nations. Of course he is refering to the Gentiles, and that includes every other nation and people besides the Jewish one. But both the cause and the purpose for him being bound is because he is called to carry the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles, if you will to the entire rest of the world. He was doing that all throughout Asia and on into Europe, which is what stirred up the Jews to try to get him arrested and killed in the first place, but (don’t miss this) he is still doing it! He is leveraging his imprisonment, making the most of it and every opportunity to help advance the Good News among the Gentiles. No pity partying or navel-gazing here. He’s in prison, chained up between two Roman guards - so what? If I am in prison, or wherever I am, so what? I’m in the hospital - really, so what? It is so not about me. Whether free and healthy or sick or in prison, God’s got this. This - whatever this is - can and should ultimately lead to an opportunity for me to tell my story about Jesus to someone. I may not have a calling with a scope as broad as Paul’s, but I am to be just as much an abassador as he was, representing the One Who sent me to those around me wherever and in whatever circumstances I am. No one is out to get me. Life is not out to get me. And even if they were, so what? 'Mine' is not mine to spend as I please. Remember that all things are from Christ and by Him and for Him. When we leave Christ out of the equation in essence we become practical atheists. He is behind this and in the middle of this and orchestrating this, all for the nations and for my neighbors, those who do not yet know Him. So I can fairly say that I am whatever I am because of Him - I am His prisoner. Whatever hand I may think life has dealt me, He is the Dealer, and He is the House. And in reality, I am ALWAYS playing with house money. So what? So, I am not ever just a prisoner. I am a prisoner OF Christ FOR Christ. I am not ever just a cancer patient - I am a cancer patient of Christ. I am not just a doctor treating a cancer patient - I am a doctor of Christ. I am an orphan of Christ. I am a widow of Christ - I am His widow. I am His teacher, lawyer, engineer, coach - whatever I am, wherever I go, whatever I do, I am His. All this is for Him. For the nations. Or should be. Once again, I have a long way to go...
No comments:
Post a Comment