Philippians 4:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"If we have sown spiritual things among you," he says, "is it a great thing if we reap your material things?" (1 Cor 9:11). And again: "Now your abundance supplies their lack" (2 Cor 8:14).

Do you see how they had communion, giving material things and receiving spiritual things? As sellers and buyers have mutual communion, receiving from one another and giving to one another, so it is here. This is communion.

There is nothing, nothing more profitable than this purchase and this trade. It is conducted on earth and ends in heaven. The buyers are on earth, yet they buy and make an agreement concerning heavenly things, laying down an earthly price.

Nevertheless, do not be troubled. Heavenly goods are not sold for money. They are not bought with money, but by the free decision of the one who gives money, by wisdom, by elevation above the things of life, by love for mankind and almsgiving.

If they were bought with silver, the woman who put in two mites would have received little. But since not silver but good intention had power, she showed all readiness and received everything.

Therefore we must not say that the kingdom of heaven is bought with money. It is not bought with money, but with free decision, revealed through money.

Yet money is needed, you say. It is not money that is needed, but decision. If you have this, you can buy heaven even with two mites. Without it, even with a thousand talents of gold, you cannot buy what can be bought with two mites.

Why? Because when you gave a lesser thing from much, you indeed gave alms, but not such alms as the widow gave. You did not give with the same zeal as she did.

She deprived herself of everything; or rather, she did not deprive herself, but gave everything to herself. God promised the kingdom not for talents of gold, but for a cup of cold water, for zeal.

He promised it not for death, which is not something great, but for intention. What indeed does it mean to give one soul? One man is given, and one man is not equal in value to the kingdom.

You helped also when I departed from Macedonia, that is, from your region. He did not say that no church gave to me. He said that no church shared with me in giving and receiving, because the essence of the matter lies in communion.

You give material things and receive spiritual things, as it is said elsewhere: "If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?" (1 Cor 9:11). Thus the other churches did not share in the giving of material things and the receiving of spiritual things.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, in the last place the Apostle speaks as though saying: "I did not receive it. I did not, but God through me. Therefore, although I do not suffer need, do not look at that. God also had no need, yet He accepted it. Thus divine Scripture did not refuse to say, 'God smelled a fragrant aroma' (Gen 8:21). This means that it was pleasing to Him. Not the smell and not the smoke were pleasing, but the free intention of the one who offered."

"So it is with every act of beneficence when it is done with a steadfast disposition of heart, not from vainglory, but according to God. God sees our soul, our good disposition, and our readiness to give. He graciously accepts it as a fragrant sacrifice to Him" (Bishop Theophan).

The expression "shared in the matter of giving and receiving" is taken from commercial exchanges or transactions. There the merchant and the buyer both mutually give and receive. One gives goods and receives money; the other gives money and receives goods.

This is communion between them in trade, in the sense of giving and receiving. The Apostle applies this to himself and the Philippians. He says that from the beginning they entered into communion with him as in a transaction, in the matter of giving and receiving.

By this he shows that they did not only give, but also received. They supplied bodily things and received spiritual things. It was as though a transaction took place between them, in which the spiritual was bought through the bodily, and the heavenly through the earthly.

"Do you see how they had communion? By giving bodily things and receiving spiritual things. For sellers and buyers communicate mutually, receiving from one another and giving to one another. This is communion. So it is here.

There is nothing more profitable than this purchase and this trade. It is conducted on earth, but it is completed in heaven. The buyers are on earth, but they buy and make agreements concerning heavenly things, laying down an earthly price.

Yet do not condemn me. Heavenly goods are not sold for money. They are not bought with money, but with the free intention of the one who distributes money, with wisdom, with elevation above worldly things, with love for mankind and almsgiving.

If those goods were bought with silver, then the woman who put in two mites would not have received much. But because it was not silver, but free intention, that had power, she showed all readiness and received everything" (Chrysostom).