I Want to Know You, Jesus Christ
“I want to know you, Jesus Christ” – March 2nd, 2025 (Philippians week 7)
We recently noticed a problem with one of our appliances. After consulting the user manual, Paul ordered a replacement part, and, voila, it’s now working as good as new again. Unlike appliance user manuals, which also include troubleshooting and safety guidelines, we have not yet become aware of any QR codes to scan on behalf of either young children or elderly parents, to know what to be aware of and how to safeguard them.
When our firstborn, Peter, started to scoot and then toddle around, we quickly realized that we needed to safeguard him from many of the items we’d accumulated. Some of our stuff presented very real dangers to our precious and curious explorer who liked to touch, test, try, and taste everything. Several of our younger adventurers, most notably Cascade and Karis, added climbing, unlocking, and Houdini-level escapology to the mix, such that they needed to be safeguarded even from the effects of gravity while frolicking on top of the fridge, attempting experiments with supposedly safely stowed chemicals, and wriggling out of car seats on high-speed journeys. In more recent years, when we’ve helped our elderly loved ones, both locally and down under, move into new dwellings, we needed to safeguard them from both tricksters and fraudsters and trip-and-fall hazards alike.
In the very first verse of the passage we are about to read in Philippians 3, there’s a Greek word, asphales, translated “safeguard.” A-sphales literally means “to not trip or fall.” Just as we did the best we could to help our young children and elderly parents to not trip or fall, Paul is instructing us in how to safeguard ourselves and others on the way of love with Jesus, together.
Let’s dive into today’s passage, Philippians 3:1-11, as we continue our journey through this epistle of suffering matched by joy.
Philippians 3:1-11 (NRSV) – “1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh—4 even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Today’s passage starts with Paul’s explanation as to why he keeps repeating himself about certain things: he says it is a “safeguard.” Then, in the very next sentence he repeats a word three times to highlight who or what it is from which we need to be safeguarded. Beware, beware, beware! This repeated word is the Greek word blepete, and if we unpack it a bit more, it means to be watchful, alert, perceptive, and understanding, not just for the sake of seeing and getting what’s happening, but so that we can do what we need to do in response.
If we see a young child toddling towards the top of stairs that they have not yet mastered, it’s not enough to nod with understanding, “if they keep going in that direction, they’re gonna get hurt.” We need to get moving and make a difference in their life by scooping them up and pointing them in a different direction! If we see that some kind of liquid has been spilled on the floor towards which an elderly person with a mobility aid is ambulating, it’s not enough to hope that they somehow walk around the slippery substance. We need to get moving and make a difference in their life by holding our breath and wiping it up! What Paul is saying here is, “If you see something, do something” and “If you realize this is what’s going on, get moving and make a difference!”
In verse 2, there are three things Paul tells us to beware of; three things about which we must be watchful, alert, perceptive, and understanding. I greatly appreciate Paul’s use of alliteration in the original Greek:
1. The first thing Paul tells us to beware of is kynas, dogs. This did not evoke warm and gooey feelings for the original recipients of this letter as they do for many of us today. When I hear the word “dog” today, I think of beloved furry friends like River, Dogey, Frida, Finley, Colby Jack, Clyde, Captain, Benny, Princess, or others among us. With apologies to excellent and loving pet parents, when the apostle Paul wrote this, he was referring to an animal that was almost universally despised in the ancient near East. The word “dogs” was a metaphorical and derogatory term that had a literal sense of a scavenging canine, a spiritual predator who feeds off others. Paul wants us to beware of anyone who pretends to be a Christ-follower, anyone who practices coercion, anyone who preys on those who are kind, anyone who presents themselves as a king. Paul not only tells us to be alert for and notice people like this, he also cautions us not to listen to them and not to follow them. Paul reminds us that Jesus is the only Lord and the only King, to whom we are to give our total allegiance. Jesus is the one we are to listen to and to follow!
2. The second thing Paul tells us to beware of is kakous ergatas, evil workers. This describes perpetrators of either physical harm or moral evil. In emphasizing the destructive nature of sin and wrongdoing, Paul warns us that if we choose to engage in physical or moral wrongdoing, then people will get hurt. Most often the ones who are harmed the most are the poor and marginalized. Paul is calling us to reject this kind of lifestyle and instead to pursue wholeheartedly that which is good and beneficial to human flourishing.
3. The third thing Paul tells us to beware of is katatomēn.This is more than just a direct reference to the practice of circumcision. It is primarily a strong warning against any distortion or perversion of the gospel. Paul is countering the claims of some in the early Christian church that Gentile converts needed to be circumcised as a requirement of salvation. We can see that Paul addresses this error in many of his writings. One of the things Paul repeats is that it is not adherence to the law that saves us. It is by the faithfulness of Christ that we are saved.
Paul repeats this word blepete three times in verse 2 – beware, beware, beware! This repetition of “beware” immediately takes me to Winnie the Pooh’s dream song, Heffalumps and Woozles, in the 1968 animation. I think the song lyrics are a pretty good modern paraphrase of Paul’s warnings. “They’re up, they’re down. They’re in, they’re out, they’re all about. They’re far, they’re near, they’re gone, they’re here. They’re quick and slick, they’re insincere. Beware! Beware! Be a very wary bear!”
I can’t prove it, but I like to think that the Apostle Paul would have been a fellow Winnie the Pooh fan. I think his curious mind would have surely led him to also enjoy great books, like my most recent discovery: Pooh and the Philosophers: In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-the-Pooh. As the author says, “In describing himself as a Bear of Very Little Brain, Pooh is merely continuing the tradition of Socrates, who constantly professed to be an ignorant enquirer … Eeyore clearly represents the Stoic tradition … Piglet is rich in allusions to moral philosophy … Owl is a lively satire on the sort of academic philosophy that prides itself on its detachment from everyday life … Tigger’s search for breakfast demonstrates the importance of secondary motives in John Stuart Mill’s more sophisticated version of Utilitarianism.”
Even Winnie the Pooh knows the importance of “beware!” We ought not to live in fear, but we ought to be very watchful, alert, perceptive, and understanding about who and what we need to avoid. Spiritual predators, evil workers, and distorters of the gospel are up, down, in, out, all about, far, near, gone, here, quick, slick, and insincere. Beware, dear brothers and sisters, beware! “If you see something, do something.” “If you realize this is what’s going on, get moving and make a difference!”
Paul’s warnings serve a larger purpose, though. Remember three weeks ago when we looked at what is known as the “Christ hymn” in Philippians chapter 2? In that, Paul told us, “Imitate Christ.” In today’s passage, Paul tells us, “Imitate me.”
Notice what Paul does not do here. He does not catalog his former life as a list of things he heaped on the junk pile when he trusted in the faithfulness of Christ. He was not comparing Jesus’ worth with the worst things in his life. No, in verses 3 through 6, Paul speaks of his former way of life as a list of the highest human accomplishments or privileges, things of extraordinary value. Just as Jesus relinquished all (even equality with God), Paul relinquished the very best things in his life. He gave up the things that were the most precious to him, in exchange for the path of obedient service. He relinquished genuine good works, his blessed birthright, a notable nationality, outstanding obedience, fantastic faithfulness, real zeal, extensive knowledge, unusual uprightness, extraordinary blamelessness, an esteemed title, a distinguished status, an important position, and an impeccable reputation.
In verses 7 and 8, Paul speaks of regarding everything as loss or rubbish. But it is not these precious treasures themselves that Paul counted as rubbish, dregs, or dung. What he now considered worthless and detestable was the idea or belief that he somehow deserved these privileges or that he had accomplished these things solely through our own efforts. Paul reminds us that we, too, are not to depend on any privileges or accomplishments. If we believe that we somehow deserve the privileges we enjoy, then we must necessarily also believe that others do not deserve those same privileges. If we believe that we have accomplished whatever we’ve achieved solely through our own efforts, then we must necessarily also believe that the contributions of others contemporary to us and of all those who have gone before us are of no value. Belief in these ideas is what Paul regards as rubbish, dregs, or dung – these ideas are worthless and detestable. Paul calls us to believe in the good news of Jesus Christ: We are to depend fully on God’s amazing grace! We are who we are because of God’s grace and the good work done by others. And because of these things we get to participate in God’s kingdom restoration towards universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight.
Paul’s call to imitate him is not at all an egotistical call; it is a call to discipleship – follow me, as I follow Christ. Paul always points us to Jesus: even as Jesus Christ gave up all claims, so has Paul. Paul has relinquished everything – good works, birthright, nationality, obedience, faithfulness, zeal, knowledge, uprightness, blamelessness – he has relinquished everything – title, status, position, reputation – everything – but, why? Paul relinquished everything so that he could know Christ, which is to totally identify with Christ, in Jesus’ suffering, in Jesus’ death, in Jesus’ resurrection.
Throughout Scripture, God asks us to give up that which is most valuable to us. Jesus called people to give up everything to follow him. He compared the kingdom of God to a treasure so priceless that we will be willing to give up everything for it. Matthew 13:44-46 – “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Paul has relinquished everything, including all of his privileges and accomplishments. Reading verses 8 and the first part of verse 9 again, Paul says, “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”
Paul’s message is clear: It is worth giving up everything for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. It is worth exchanging all that we have to gain King Jesus and his kingdom, the hidden and priceless treasure. It is worth investing all that we have and all that we are for King Jesus and his kingdom, the pearl of great value, the excellent flawless pearl as The Message translation puts it. Jesus Christ’s worth surpasses everything that is valuable to us. In Jesus, we have every reason to hope and to pray, along with Paul in the rest of verse 9, that we, too, “may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.”
To know Christ is to totally identify with Christ in life, in suffering, in death, and in resurrection. Paul trusted in Jesus and wanted to be with Jesus in life, in suffering, in death, and in resurrection. Paul looked forward to his own resurrection with Christ at the last day. Because Jesus has already experienced this, because Jesus has already died and risen again, because Jesus is the righteousness of God, we, too, can look to the future with hope, in Christ.
That brings us to our last two verses today, Philippians 3:10-11, which encapsulate Paul’s destiny and desire for himself and for all who follow Jesus – “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Gordon Fee encourages us to not lose the splendor of Paul’s glorious goal by going back and reading it again and again until we became “absorbed in praise and worship over the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.” One more time: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
In that spirit, we are going to close today by participating in an eight-part declaration which I’ve crafted for us from the Message translation’s rendering of our Philippians 3 passage. I want to invite us to read each line together, pausing to ponder before moving to the next line.
I want to know you, Christ Jesus, as my Lord and King, firsthand.
I want to embrace you, Christ, and be embraced by you.
I want to trust you, Christ – God’s righteousness.
I want to know you, Jesus Christ, personally.
I want to experience your resurrection power.
I want to be a partner in your suffering.
I want to go all the way with you to death itself.
I want to get in on the resurrection from the dead with you!
