The readings for tomorrow, March 25 are:Old Testament: Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm: Psalm 126
Gospel: John 12:1-8
Epistle: Philippians 3:4b-14
Click here to read them.
Wasteful for Christ
Our epistle text is well-known and has Paul listing his various inherited titles and positions as well as his life-long accomplishments. His purpose in listing his pedigree is to contrast it against the sacrificial humility called for in the life that follows Christ. After taking the time to list his "attainments", Paul calls it all skubala, most often translated in English as "trash". This being the only time this specific word appears anywhere in scripture, it's meaning is variously defined. Other possible descriptions could be rubbish, refuse, or even as strongly as Paul meant when writing it, crap...or worse. (Interestingly, the translation that I least often use translates it best - the KJV calls it "dung.")
Part of Paul's point here is to demonstrate what happens with our lives when we take up the cross of Christ. Accomplishments and titles just get in the way. They hold us up, they slow us down, and they make the Christian life messy. If you've ever been out for a nice walk on a sunny day and stepped where a dog had been, you might be able to understand Paul's use of the word skubala here. Everything outside of Christ holds us up from "attaining" what Christ has attained.
Part of what Paul is reminding his readers here is that life in Christ inherently implies sacrifice. Sacrifice implies the riddance of something - the killing off of something, indeed, the casting away or throwing out (like trash) the things in life that are a hindrance to "all things Christ." Paul says, "in order to gain Christ"...[I have to lose all else that I think makes me...me].
Paul concludes the first part of our epistle text by explaining that this riddance - this sacrifice - is so that we can identify with Christ and his sacrifice.
So we go through times like Lent, fasting, and the ascetics of life to identify with Christ and the cross. This is a huge part of why we "go through" Good Friday. Contrary to popular opinion, Christianity's claim of the cross is not an identification with power (as humanity understands power), but is primarily an identification with sacrifice, servanthood, and the giving up of one's life. If Christ is our example, his act on the cross is exemplary for us.
We don't mean to sidestep the Christus Victor aspect of Jesus' death on the cross and the subsequent empty cross. Christ indeed died for us. But his act on the cross is exemplary for salvation before it is excusatory for salvation. What I mean is that Christ's death on the cross gives us the ultimate example of how God wants us to live - as people of sacrifice who would lay down our lives to bring reconciliation to the world, and not just what Dallas Willard calls "vampire Christianity" - a religion that seeks Christ for the sacrifice of his blood only.
...but it doesn't stop there, and neither does Paul. Why would we "go to the point of death" like Christ? What's on the other side? Paul says, "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. What can be resurrected but only something that has died? We must give up our all (and all is life) to be resurrected by God the Father.
Speaking of giving our all, Paul's words here are great when coupled with our Gospel passage - Mary giving out all that she had in the bottle of perfume as an act of worship before Jesus. It's here that we'll pick up tomorrow.
I look forward to worshiping with you all tomorrow.
