What is God’s top priority for his children; the thing above all else that he wants us to do? Most Christians recognize that making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) is a high priority, or, more broadly, being a witness (Acts 1:8), or caring for the poor (Luke 12:32-34). But in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we can see a priority that’s even higher.
When Paul wrote Philippians he was in prison At some earlier point, the church in Philippi had sent a man named Epaphroditus to deliver a gift of financial support, and to help Paul in his ministry. While he was working with Paul, Epaphroditus got sick, and the Philippians heard about it. The text seems to suggest that the sickness was, in some way, the result of something Epaphroditus had chosen to do, as part of that ministry. After he recovered, Paul wrote this to the Philippian believers:
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me (Philippians 2:25-30).
Epaphroditus apparently thought that the Philippians needed to see for themselves that he was okay, which strongly suggests that the report they had heard was that he was dying. He clearly loved those people and wanted to reassure them.
What I find most interesting about this passage, though, is that Paul’s decision shows that he also believed that reassuring the Philippian believers was more important than having Epaphroditus continue to help him spread the gospel. There’s no question that preaching Christ was a high priority for Paul. More than that, it was his mission; the great calling of his life. But showing love toward his brothers and sisters in Philippi was an even higher priority.
It strikes me that this incident is an application of Jesus’ command:
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
The gift Epaphroditus had been offering was his work to spread the gospel. His brothers and sisters had not been offended in the sense that he’d sinned against them, or that they were angry, but they were greatly distressed by what they’d heard. Paul, therefore, made the decision to send Epaphroditus back to the Philippians, letting them know that he was worthy of honor even though his ministry had been cut short. And the Holy Spirit chose to include that decision in the Bible.
Now, please don’t go away from this devotion thinking that we don’t need to share the gospel. That’s not what I said! We definitely do need to tell people about Jesus. But Christ himself said that the way people will know that we actually belong to him is by our loving one another (John 13:35). And as much as God wants everyone everywhere to turn to Christ and become his children, this passage in Philippians shows that he has an even stronger desire for those of us who are already his children to act like we’re his children and love our brothers and sisters. And honestly, why would anybody want to join a family whose members don’t love each other?