Paul has spoken to the Philippians about his suffering and hardship. We saw how Paul walked through and defined what real life truly is (Phil 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain). Paul may only see a glimmer of what God is doing, but he also doesn’t expect to see the whole picture; he knows God is so much higher and greater than he could imagine. In the first 26 verses of Chapter 1, Paul has been talking about his own struggle and feelings. Starting in verse 27, Paul turns the tables and says, “This is no longer about my suffering…it is about yours.”
The Jews called storytelling to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, was known as parables to the Greeks. Parables didn’t have to be long stories; they could also be simple illustrations conveying deeper spiritual concepts. In Luke 12 when Jesus says, “Consider how the wildflowers grow,” that was still considered Aggadah. It was a way of conveying that even everyday things can speak to the nature of your life in the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, parables are/were all about living in the Kingdom of God today. Eternal life with God begins now. Jesus creates word pictures so we would understand more of God, the world He made, and how we are to live in it.
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