🇬🇧 Glory be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
A direct continuation of yesterday’s reading,
with which it has one verse in common (verse 20). See about yesterday’s
reading here:
11102023.html
Philippians I, 21 – ‘εμοι’ – ‘emoi’ – (to) ‘me’ ((for) ‘me’). ‘το ζην
χριστος και το αποθανειν κερδος’ – ‘to zen christos kai to apothanein
kerdos’ – literally ‘life is Christ and dying (a state close to death,
being about to die) is gain (an advantage)’. This is a well-known and
profound place, and I will dwell on it in a little more detail. The
Apostle Paul means that he lives for Christ, trying to please Christ, so
he can call his life Christ
in the sense that the meaning and centre,
the content of his life is Christ Himself (and this is a great
happiness). And when Paul is in difficult circumstances, when he may
die, this brings him closer to the reward in Christ, to eternal life,
and also – in contrast to people who are far from God, from Christ – the
fact that death does not distance him from Christ, but also allows him
to be united with Him, is an advantage, a value, an acquisition. Paul
writes more about this immediately afterwards.
Here Paul himself does not decide which is better for him, but he realises that both are good. And what will happen is that he will continue to live, and at least intends to come back to the Philippians later. Apparently, Paul is confident because he has received some kind of assurance from God (about his life), perhaps a revelation about it, or perhaps some events clearly indicating God’s deliverance from the dangers.
Philippians I, 26 – ‘εμοι’ – ‘emoi’ – (to) ‘me’ ((through) ‘me’). ‘εμης’ – ‘emes’ – ‘my’ (arrival).
He goes on to say that he wants to praise the Philippians, and that his praise, as well as his life and arrival, the fulfilment of God’s assurance, will be even more praise and joy to the Philippians.
Today’s reading concludes with an encouragement and exhortation to live according to and witness to the faith of Christ, the Gospel.
Luke IX, 11 – ‘τους χρειαν εχοντας θεραπειας ιατο’ - ‘tous khreian ekhontas therapeias iato’ – ‘those who had need, He healed by caring (treating, healing)’. Here, the so-called emphatic syntagma is possibly used, i.e., the amplification of meaning typical of Old Testament texts through the use of two cognates or similar words in a row to emphasise the meaning. But it can also be an emphasis on the fact that Christ not only healed people in need while preaching, but also showed His care, attention, concern, mercy, and love.
See about the parallel passages to the first verses in Matthew
(Matthew XIV, 1-13) and Mark (Mark VI, 14-30) by the following links:
18072023.html
30082023.html
Also, for the events that are related to the following in the
parallel passage in Matthew (Matthew XIV, 14-22), see the link:
30072023.html
To the martyrs Provus, Tarachus and Andronicus:
Ephesians VI, 12 – ‘ημιν’ – ‘emin’ – (to) ‘us’.
Ephesians VI, 13 – ‘ημερα’ – ‘emera’ – ‘day’ (‘on’).
For the readings from the Apostle, see the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21012023.html
For the readings from the Gospel, see the link:
21032023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!