Paul spends considerable time imprisoned in Ephesus during his third journey and writes several letters preserved in the NT, including the letter to the Philippians. A couple of things are clear from the letter. First, Paul is clearly very close to the Philippians; they hold a special place in his heart. Second, he thinks his end may be near and writes in that context. So, he urges the Philippian believers toward genuine Christ-likeness, esp. in the prelude to the Christ-hymn of 2:8-11. To have the same mind as Christ, which was revealed in Jesus’ humility and obedience . .
. “to death, even death on a cross.” This leads us to the second passage from later in the letter. Here, Paul reminds the Philippians that everything . . . everything . . . even what we value most in life . . . falls away in comparison to knowing Christ, for this knowing is unsurpassable. What does this say about the priorities in our lives?