Philippians 1:20-27 · Luke 7:17-30 — Thursday, October 8, 2026

A daily note from the team at OCABS.ORG, drawing on the published works of Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, with citations to his books and lectures. Readings: Philippians 1:20-27; Luke 7:17-30. Paul's confession that "to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" is not, in Fr. Paul's reading, a simple wish for an easy exit. He notes that Paul worries lest it be discovered that he chose death for "an easy, quick gain" rather than continuing to serve the Philippians; remaining in the flesh brings more "fruitful labor" because love for others outweighs his own longing to depart. This same pattern of self-emptying for the sake of others is later ascribed to Christ, who "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" and of whom it is written, "God has superlatively exalted him." Paul offers himself first as the example of the obedient slave before holding up Christ as the same kind of example [1,9]. Paul tells the Philippians to let their manner of life "be worthy of the gospel," using a verb Fr. Paul renders as to "behave as a citizen of a polity would," language echoed in the citizenship vocabulary of Ephesians. He identifies the main point of the verse as togetherness: the church is to "stand firm in one spirit" with one mind, and the verb for striving side by side literally means to "act as athletes together," like runners in a relay. Fr. Paul also connects this standing firm to joy, since joy belongs to the Jerusalem above and "awaits us at the end of the path we have to tread according to God's will," lived out only by those who act as citizens of that city [6,11,7,10]. When John's disciples ask whether Jesus is the one to come, his answer lists deeds matching Isaiah, including that "the poor have good news preached to them," the scriptural book Fr. Paul says Paul used to shape his gospel and that Matthew later echoes. Luke's account then divides the hearers: the people and tax collectors declare God just, while those who resist are named plainly as "this generation," identified as "the Pharisees and the lawyers" who reject God's counsel for themselves [13,19]. The root pair of the day · שׁ-מ-ע šin–mem–ʿayin, שָׁמַע šamaʿ · س–م–ع sīn–mīm–ʿayn, سَمِعَ samiʿa · hear; be heard; be heard of. Basar and bushshira hold together flesh and good tidings in one root. Philippians weighs remaining "in the flesh" (basar) against departing, since staying brings fruitful labor for others. Luke's Jesus answers John by saying "the poor have good news preached to them," the same root that in Arabic yields bushshira, glad tidings, as the note recalls from Isaiah. cf. The Consolation of Consonants Sources: Tarazi, Philippians: A Commentary, p. 90; Tarazi, Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians: A Commentary, p. 69; Tarazi, Philippians: A Commentary, p. 103; Tarazi, Philippians: A Commentary, p. 105; Tarazi, Colossians and Philemon: A Commentary, p. 114; Tarazi, Philippians: A Commentary, p. 97; Tarazi, The New Testament: An Introduction, vol. 4, Matthew and the Canon, p. 174; Tarazi, The New Testament: An Introduction, vol. 4, Matthew and the Canon, p. 176. The note on ocabs.org Opening music: Taksim Arbi, Bichi Slama, oud (Tunis, Archives de la Parole, 1930s), public domain. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.