Ak – Bond Servants of Messiah Yeshua 1: 1-2

Bond Servants of Messiah Yeshua
1: 1-2

Bond servants of Messiah Yeshua DIG: Why did Paul have two names? When did the change come? Did Paul abandon his Jewish roots? What examples can you give? Paul often starts his letters with the words grace and peace, how does that sum up the Gospel? How does your life illustrate grace or peace? Why was Timothy circumcised? What is a bond-servant? Why is service essential in the life of a believer?

REFLECT: How would you rate your single-minded devotion to Messiah? Who are you following? Do you have two masters? Would “grace and peace” or “guilt and pressure” be a better description of your experience with Messiah right now? What does grace and peace mean to you? How has God shown you grace in your life? How have you shown grace to others? Why is it dangerous for you to declare Yeshua as Lord?

Paul’s imprisonment by Rome symbolized his bondage to Yeshua Messiah.

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Messiah Yeshua (1:1a Greek). The writer of this letter to the Philippians had two names, Sha’ul, which means to ask or pray, his Hebrew name, and Paul, coming from the Latin, meaning little, his Gentile name. There are indications that Paul was small in stature, hence his Latin name; he was also a man of prayer, and thus he lived up to his Hebrew name.⁸ Starting in Acts 13:9 we encounter Paul’s two names: Then Sha’ul, also known as Paul, filled with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, fixed his gaze upon him. Here the one sent to the Goyim is called both Sha’ul and Paul. This decisive shift from the name Sha’ul to Paul happens only after Paul sets off on his first missionary journey among the Gentiles (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bm – Paul’s First Missionary Journey: Paul is Sha’ul and Sha’ul is Paul). From now on, Luke will call him Sha’ul only in regards to his past (Acts 22:7 and 26:14). The name Paul appears 132 times in Acts Chapters 13-28. This did not mean that Paul had abandoned his Jewish roots, as he would later declare in his testimony: I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Isra’el and a member of the tribe of Benjamin – a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Torah (3:5 NLT). Not only that, but Paul made it his practice to visit the local synagogue when he entered a new city to evangelize (see Acts Bo – Paul’s Message in Pisidian Antioch).

Timothy was a fellow bond-servant of Messiah Yeshua, sharing the same single-minded focus on pleasing the Master. He was Paul’s son in the faith (First Timothy 1:2), not only an apprentice, but also a cherished companion, to whom the apostle would pass on a remarkable spiritual legacy and ministry. Paul names Timothy side by side with himself because he intended to send Timothy to Philippi soon. Paul’s two inspired letters to Timothy were written several years later, the first after the apostle had been released from his first imprisonment in Rome and the second during his second imprisonment there (see the commentary on Galatians Ae – Dates of Books in the B’rit Chadashah). Timothy was so captivated by Messiah that he cared more about the believers in the church at Philippi than his own comfort or safety (2:19-24). In Timothy’s coming they will experience Paul’s love, for Timothy is Paul’s spiritual son, and sons resemble their fathers.⁹

As a loyal coworker with Paul, Timothy is introduced to us as the apostle who began his second missionary journey (see Acts Bu – Paul’s Second Missionary Journey) to the Asia Minor Messianic congregations. The purpose of the journey was to share the rulings of the Jerusalem Council (see Acts Bs – The Council at Jerusalem) announcing that Gentiles could become members of the Messianic Community without first converting to Judaism. Timothy is introduced in Acts 16:1-4: Paul traveled to Derbe and Lystra, where he recruited Timothy, a reputable young believer with a Jewish mother and a Greek father. To facilitate ministry among the local Jews, Paul circumcised Timothy, and they proceeded to deliver the decisions of the Jerusalem council to the Messianic congregations, strengthening their faith.

In this introduction, we learn that Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother who had become a believer in Yeshua (and we learn in Second Timothy 1:5 that his grandmother, Eunice, was also a Messianic Jew, making Timothy a third-generation Messianic Jew). Though we don’t know for sure why Timothy wasn’t circumcised, it appears that his Greek father may have objected to having his son circumcised, possibly because of the Greek visual ideal of not desecrating the perfect human form by removing the foreskin. But then, it could be that his father rejected what circumcision could represent for his son’s identity: separation from the Gentile society and inclusion with the people of Isra’el. However, Paul didn’t want Timothy’s possibly ambiguous Jewish identity to be a roadblock to the work of sharing their message among the Jewish population of Asia Minor.¹⁰

Bond-servants translates the plural of the often-used Greek word doulos, which describes a person owned by someone else and thus subservient to and dependent on that person. When used in the B’rit Chadshah, doulos describes willing, determined, and devoted service. It reflects the attitude of a slave during the Dispensation of Torah (see Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah) who refused the opportunity for freedom and voluntarily resubmitted himself to his master for life. The Torah provided that if the slave plainly says, “I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,” then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently (Exodus 21:5-6). Speaking of all faithful believers, Paul declared: Now we have been released from the Torah, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in the new way provided by the Spirit and not in the old way of outwardly following the letter of the Torah (Romans 7:6). To the Corinthians he explained: For a person who was a slave when he was called is the Lord’s freeman; likewise, someone who was a free man when he was called is a slave to Messiah (First Corinthians 7:22).

In that spirit, Paul and Timothy did not think of being bond-servants of Messiah Yeshua in anything but positive terms. Nor did they think of themselves as bond-servants of the Church of Rome, or any other person or institution, but exclusively of Messiah Yeshua. Paul reminded the elders from the Ephesian church of that single-minded devotion when he met with them near Miletus: I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and ministry which I received from the Lord Yeshua, to testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). That devotion is required of every believer, but especially of those called to the ministry.

Paul’s physical bonds were not really marks of his bondage to Rome but to his Lord. His imprisonment by Rome symbolized his bondage to Yeshua Messiah. My imprisonment in the cause of Messiah, he explained, has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and . . . most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have much more courage to speak the word of God without fear (1:13-14). It was Yeshua who would assign all his duties and meet all his needs. The Lord declared very clearly that no one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other (Matthew 6:24a). And because the Lord is such a loving Master, His bond-servants can testify with Paul: He told me: My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is brought to perfection in weakness. Therefore, I am very happy to boast about my weakness, in order that Messiah’s power will rest on me (Second Corinthians 12:9).

To all God’s people (Hebrew: kedoshim, meaning holy ones or set apart ones) in Messiah Yeshua. All God’s people are holy and set apart, not because they are themselves righteous, but because they are in Messiah Yeshua, whose righteousness is imputed to them. That means that all of the righteousness of Messiah is transferred to our spiritual bank account, so there is union with Messiah, and what is true of Him is true of us, minus His deity. A Buddhist does not speak of himself as being in Buddha, nor does a Muslim speak of himself as being in Mohammed. A Christian Scientist is not in Mary Baker Eddy or a Mormon in Joseph Smith. They may faithfully follow the teaching and example of those religious leaders, but they are not in them. Only believers can claim to be in their Lord, because they have been made spiritually one with Him (see the commentary on Romans Bp – The Messianic Mikveh). To the Galatians Paul declared: I have been crucified with Messiah; and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). So, being in Messiah Yeshua, and therefore being acceptable in His sight, is the believer’s supreme source of joy.¹¹

Living in Philippi: Paul wrote the letter to the people in Philippi, a city in what is now in Greece. It was an important Roman colony city, in fact, the only such colony that Luke actually describes as such. It lay on the Via Egnatia, the main east-west route across Macedonia, connecting Rome with its eastern provinces. While the city was originally built, fortified and named after Philip of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great in 358 BC, the Philippi that Luke and Paul knew was a metropolis run on Roman principles and Roman law. This is a very important fact as the story develops. Roman citizenship was highly valued in such a place. The city prospered not only because it was in a very fertile region, but because there were still active mines in the area, especially gold mines.

Philippi was a military city. When Antony was defeated by Octavian in 31 BC, he not only made the city a Roman colony, but he even gave Philippi the ius italicum, the legal character of a part of Italy, even though it was outside Italy. This was the highest honor that could be given to a provincial city, for it meant that the Philippians were self-governing, exempt from poll and land taxes, and they could purchase or sell land and engage in civil lawsuits. It was, in short, a microcosm of Roman life at that time.¹² Philippi had a small Jewish population (see Acts By – Lydia’s Conversion at Philippi), so Paul was writing to a mostly Gentile community.

Along with the Overseers and deacons (1:1b Greek): Paul made a point to include in his opening words a greeting to the elders and deacons. In doing so, he was showing that there was established leadership over the church in Philippi. As is clear from Acts 20:17, 28 and Titus 1:5,7, overseer is another term for elder, the most common name for the office in the B’rit Chadashah (Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 4 and 6; James 5:14). Elders are also referred to as pastors (or shepherds in Acts 20:28 and First Peter 5:1-2), pastor-teachers (Ephesians 4:11), and bishops (Acts 20:28; First Timothy 3:2). Their high qualifications are set forth in First Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. Overseers, or Elders, are first mentioned in relation to the famine relief money sent by the church of Antioch to the elders in Judea by the hands of Sha’ul and Barnabas (Acts 11:30). They oversee in the local churches by preaching, teaching (Titus 1:9), setting godly examples, and generally leading by the guidance of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. As far as deacons are concerned, their role is primarily one of practical service (see Acts Av – Deacons Anointed for Service), rather than preaching or teaching. They are required to meet the same high moral and spiritual standards as the elders (First Timothy 3: 8-13).

Grace and peace to you: Paul used this common greeting in several of his letters to churches (Romans 1:7; First Corinthians 1:3; Second Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:2; Colossians 1:2-3; Second Thessalonians 1:2), as well as in one letter to an individual (Philemon 3). It is an expression of the apostle’s deep love for fellow believers, even the immature ones in Corinth who caused him much grief. But he must have felt an especially deep sense of joy and gratitude for the believers at Philippi who, in stark contrast to those in Corinth, had brought him immeasurable satisfaction and comfort.¹³

Grace: The Greek word grace (charis) is a wonderful word. It has been said, “It is hardly too much to say that the Greek mind has no word uttered itself and all that was at its heart more distinctly than in this.” When this word is brought over into the New Testament one can substitute the word “God” for “Greek.” It is hardly too much to say that God has no word in His heart more important than this. In its use among the pagan Greeks it referred to a favor done by one Greek to another out of pure generosity of his heart, and with no hope of reward. When it is used in the New Testament, it refers to that favor which God did on the cross when He stepped down from His judgment throne to take upon Himself the guilt and penalty of human sin. In the case of the Greek, the favor was done to a friend, never an enemy. In the case of God it was an enemy, the sinner, bitter in his hatred of God, for whom the favor was done. God has no strings tied to the salvation He procured for mankind at the cross. Salvation is given to the believing sinner out of the pure generosity of God’s heart. The Greek word referred to an action that was beyond the ordinary course of what might be expected, and was therefore commendable. What a description of what took place at the cross! The grace spoken of here is sanctifying grace, that part of salvation given the believer in which God causes him or her to be conformed into the image of Messiah through the ministry of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. The Hebrew word for grace is chen, defined as favor, grace, charm, or acceptance. It signifies kindness, beauty, or a gracious attitude, often used to describe finding favor in the eyes of others of God. It appears 69 times in the TaNaKh.

Peace: The word peace (Greek: eirene) in classical Greek means to bind together, in the New Testament, the operation of God’s grace is binding the believing sinner to God and His life. Paul drew on the deep meaning of shalom, meaning peace, wholeness, or security in the TaNaKh. By using grace and peace together, Paul sent the Philippians both a common Greek and Jewish greeting to begin his letter to this church.

From God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (1:2 CJB). Paul completes his greeting, making clear to the Philippians that grace and shalom came from God the Father and the Lord Yeshua. In light of other writings of Paul, including the early Messianic hymn in Philippians 2:6-11, the apostle acknowledges the divine nature of Yeshua and His eternal unity with God the Father and elsewhere with the Spirit of God to form the Triune God. Paul saw no problem in greeting the Philippians with a word that united Yeshua with the One God of Isra’el, here designated as the Father. It is the divine Son working in the world with the Father to fulfill the divine plan and bring grace and peace, that Paul has in mind here, entrusting this knowledge to the Philippians. Beyond making an important theological point about the lordship and divine nature of Yeshua, Paul begins his letter with a significant and dangerous political declaration – that Yeshua is Lord, which was in contrast to the expected acknowledgement of Caesar as Lord.¹⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for the riches of Your grace that enables all who trust in You to be “in Messiah,” which brings every spiritual blessing! Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah (Ephesians 1:3). The benefits of being “in Messiah” extend thru all eternity for it promises the seal of inheritance of the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh, which enables access to the Father. To serve You now on earth as a bond-servant is a joy, for Messiah dwelling in our hearts gives believers strength to grasp the love of God! I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Ruach, so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to grasp with all the kedoshim what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled up with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19). In the Name of Messiah Yeshua, and the power of His resurrection. Amen