Charles Ellicott Commentary Philippians 2:17

"Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:" — Philippians 2:17 (ASV)

If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith.—The striking metaphor of the original is here imperfectly represented. It is, If I am being poured out—if my life-blood is poured out—over the sacrifice and religious ministration of your faith. The same word is used in 2 Timothy 4:6, where our version has, I am now ready to be offered.

The allusion is to the practice of pouring out libations or drink-offerings (usually of wine) over sacrifices, both Jewish and pagan. Such a libation was held to be a subsidiary or preparatory element of the sacrifice. In that light, St. Paul regards his own possible martyrdom not so much as having a purpose and value in itself, but rather as contributing to the self-sacrifice of the Philippians by faith—a sacrifice apparently contemplated as likely to be offered in life rather than by death.

The sacrifice and service of your faith.—The word here translated as “service,” along with its related words, properly means any service rendered by an individual for the community. This meaning is retained, for example, in 2 Corinthians 9:12, where the term is applied to the collection and transmission of alms to Jerusalem (see also Philippians 2:25 and Philippians 2:30 below). It is also found in Romans 13:6 and Hebrews 1:7, where the powers that be and the angels are respectively called ministers of God.

But the great predominance of New Testament usage uses it for priestly service (Romans 15:16; Hebrews 8:2; Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 9:21; Hebrews 10:11), which is obviously its sense here. The simplest interpretation of the whole passage would be to consider the Philippians merely as priests, and to suppose “sacrifice” describes the chief function, and “ministration” the general function, of their priesthood. But the word “sacrifice,” although it could etymologically mean the act of sacrifice, universally has the sense in the New Testament not of the act, but of the thing sacrificed.

Accordingly, here it would seem that, distantly following the example of the great high priest, the Christian is described as at once sacrifice and priest, offering his own body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, and with it the sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of doing good and communicating (Hebrews 13:15–16, and Philippians 4:18 below). This union of sacrifice and ministration, being the work of faith, is in St. Paul’s view what is truly precious; his own death is the mere preparation for it, in which he rejoices to spend and be spent for them.

I joy, and rejoice with you all.—That is, I joy, and that in sympathy with you. First, I joy absolutely, in the feeling that to depart and be with Christ, following Him in His own way of suffering, is far better. Next, “I joy in sympathy with you,” in the sense of community of sacrifice, and brotherhood in suffering, for the sake of the one Lord. The emphasis laid on the latter clause harmonizes with the old proverb, that sorrow is halved, and joy doubled, when it is shared with others.