Paul is in prison as he writes the church at Philippi. He might be in Rome (as traditionally thought), Caesarea, or even Ephesus (N.T. Wright). But wherever he is, he wishes the disciples at Philippi to know that “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (1:12).
The word for advance (prokope) is a compound word with pro meaning “in front of” and kope meaning to “cut” or “chop down.” The word was used for armies or pioneers working cutting through brush or trees to clear a path and advance their cause. Paul wants the Philippians to know that his imprisonment has been no more than brush or trees to clear and with those out of the way, it has served the purpose of moving forward the cause of Christ. As a result, “most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear” (v. 14).
Then in v. 18b-26, he discusses the two possible outcomes of his imprisonment—how he will either walk out of his cell or be carried out. If it is the latter, Paul is more than okay with it. He speaks about death being a “gain” (v. 21), and how he desires “to depart and be with Christ” (v. 23), because “is better by far” (v. 23). All things being equal (and as we’ll see later, they’re not), Paul’s choice is to go home and be with God.
Most disciples are solid on this. We believe what Paul does. Maybe not with quite the fervency he had, but nonetheless, this is what we believe. The better question for us to ponder is, “Do we live like we believe this?” or maybe even more to the point, “Do we pray like we believe this?” Or do we pray below our privilege and pray like this life is all there is so we must desperately cling to it? When they get around to praying, this is the way the world prays because they don’t know any better. We do and it should be reflected in our prayers.
I heard a man say one time, “You only get one chance to die—you want to make sure you do it right.” What I understood him to be saying was that the last thing any of us do in this life is to die—so we should look at death as our final opportunity to honor God and bless others. Do you think there would be any power in approaching our death with peace and assurance, calm and courage, and hope? Paul did. That’s why he said in v. 20 his goal was for Christ to be “exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
That was Paul’s exit strategy and it’s sounds out of this world, doesn’t it?
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 