“Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the
That’s how the apostle Paul capped off a long list of afflictions
suffered in service to Christ. He spoke of his hard work, imprisonments,
floggings, exposure to death, stonings, shipwrecks, natural disasters,
bandits, betrayals, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, and physical need.
That’s a partial listing of the “everything else.” Yet, there’s a
“besides” that’s always intrigued me. Besides, in addition to, over and
beyond, on top of the many sacrifices and afflictions, there’s one more
thing. We get the sense that this one thing stresses Paul more than all
the other things. We have the sense that this additional thing nearly
breaks Paul. Perhaps it’s his wording. Or perhaps it’s the placement at
the end of the list. Or, maybe it’s the opening clause, “Besides
everything else,” that sets this apart to the reader. Maybe it’s all
three.
What is it?
Paul writes, “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the
churches.” We might say the great apostle was “burdened” for the local
churches. He carried that concern or burden for “all the churches”–not
just the churches he knew or served. We witness him writing letters to
congregations he never visited or saw personally. We read of his concern
for churches that were rejecting his ministry and teaching, even
questioning his apostolic authority. And we have the privilege of
eavesdropping on his love for the churches he nursed like a mother and
guided like a father, even if only for a matter of weeks. Wherever
Christ’s bride was found or known, Paul cared. “All” magnified his
concern. Continue at Thabiti Anyabwile
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