I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12
“The verb translated ‘learned’ originally meant to be inducted into the secret rites of a Hellenistic mystery cult; but like other mystery terminology it had come to adopt a transferred and more general meaning…Paul’s point is that Christian contentment remains unintelligible to those outside and can only be ‘learned’ from the God of peace.
Contentment is indeed a quiet secret known and cherished only by a few. Elaborating further, Paul indicates that his contentment extends to circumstances both of hunger and eating his fill; he has learned to cope with having either more than enough or too little…The power to cope with all circumstances resides in his union with Christ, rather than in Paul himself.”
Markus Bockmuehl in The Epistle to the Philippians (London: A & C Black, 1997) 261-262.
At the core of my exploration of contentment and generosity, I find a secret. It’s not ‘secret’ information that is hidden from the knowledge of others, but rather, based on the language of the biblical text, it is a ‘secret’ or unknown to others until it is experienced in Christ (hence, Paul’s use of mystical initiation language).
Paul is basically saying: “I have learned the secret that keeps both wealth and poverty from destroying me. I have experienced union with Christ, and now I realize experientially that I have everything I need in Him. Thus, circumstances don’t phase me and I have strength not just to survive but to thrive in every situation.”
What about you? Have you ‘learned’ the secret?
Union with Christ is something our driver discovered in Africa. He wanted what he saw in us. Without it, no person can find peace and contentment or ever exhibit generosity in all circumstances. To explore this seminal idea further in Paul’s thinking, meditate on Philippians 4. It is one of my favorite New Testament texts.