3 Rejoicing in Suffering

Paul was in jail when he wrote these words to his beloved Philippian church. His imprisonment had separated him from the dear friends he had introduced to Christ and at this time was unsure of whether he would ever see them again. His love for them and his desire to see them again are very clear from the text in this verse. He invokes the
(tender mercies) of Jesus Christ as the degree of longing for fellowship with them. The strength of his love was deeper than mere human emotion. As he ties it to the Lord Jesus he is drawing on God’s own supernatural love for us as a comparison for what he was sensing toward them. Paul was practicing what Jesus had given as a new commandment.