A Business Class Confession: Visions of Commodus at 30,000 Feet

The Apostle Paul wrote the following words from a Roman prison cell, approximately 2000 years ago…

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…” Philippians 1:27

I vividly remember reading that verse last July, not long after the plane had taken off on our flight from DFW to Doha. It was the first of 3 flights with my daughter Madeline, and her friend, Gracie. We were headed to spend a couple weeks with my good friends, Jeff and Stephanie Bys, at Mercy Home, the orphanage they had started about 8 years ago in a small village in Kenya.

Shortly after takeoff I decided to spend some time in the Word.  I didn’t get far into Philippians before I had one of those beautiful and sobering moments where the Holy Spirit illuminates a passage to your heart.

As I read those words in verse 27,  I remember sitting back in my seat and thinking to myself… This was one of those epic “Braveheart” like moments for Paul.

 I imagined him in my mind sitting in a dark dungeon with chains around his ankles, awaiting his possible martyrdom. His troops remained on the battlefield and the enemy seems to have them far outnumbered. He knows that he must make, what could be, a final plea to his men, to summon that spirit of courage within them. And so, the spirit of Paul, and Christ within him, cries out to his troops…

 Men, there is only one thing that matters: Live a life worthy of our Great Commander!  The one who suffered and shed His blood for you! (paraphrase)

And for those men who needed more clarity, he expounds on his battle cry…

“Standing firm in one spirit…

 with one mind…

striving side by side…

For the faith of the gospel.”

Make no mistake about it, Paul is using words of warfare here.  If you look up the Greek definition for that word “striving” you will see that it represents a great conflict or struggle. It implies that there is an opponent.

As I stared out the small window of that plane, I summed up Paul’s words in my head…he is pleading with his troops to fight valiantly alongside one another on the battlefield, against a common adversary, and for a common cause, that is infinitely greater than themselves; the faith of the Gospel – the souls of men.

Oh, it sounded so epic in my mind. A legendary war on a cosmic battlefield. A diabolical adversary. A common cause that every soldier would live a life worthy of a great Commander and King who had suffered such a heinous death to rescue them. A divine saga for all the ages to come.

But as I sat there, contemplating the eternal reality of this epic tale we live in, I kept coming back to three words: side by side.

I thought about my friend Jeff, whom I was on my way to visit. I considered the life he gave up here in America to go rescue orphaned children and preach the Gospel in Kenya.  I considered the conditions he now lives in – the conveniences and comforts he has given up for the cause of Christ. I knew that Jeff was a man striving on the field of battle in that epic saga. But the question I wasn’t so sure about was this; Was I by his side?

I looked around me, on that plane, and considered my current circumstance. I was flying “business class” to Kenya on a so called “missions” trip to go visit my friend Jeff. The truth is that I paid three times the cost of a normal ticket so that I could enjoy the comforts and conveniences of that seat.  Of course, all the expected rebuttals quickly came to mind…

 “But Mike, you can’t say it’s a sin to fly business class?”

 “But Mike, its 15-20 hours of traveling. If you have the money, then it’s ok for you to enjoy it.”

“But Mike, your 6’2” and have broad shoulders, your situation is a little different.” 

“But Mike….”

As I contemplated these rebuttals, my mind drifted – or maybe it was steered – to another epic movie, Gladiator. I vividly recalled the scene at the beginning of the movie where Maximus had just led his troops to victory at the Battle of Vindobana. In that scene, Prince Commodus conveniently arrives, adorned in all his royal armor, after the battle has been fought and victory secured. He remains on his horse at the back of the battlefield, looking on from a distance, with a big smile on his face, as if he had actually done something. But he hadn’t.  His sword had never been unsheathed. His body was not covered with sweat, and mud, and the blood of his enemies.  He had not a scratch on him.  He suffered nothing. He risked nothing. That scene set the stage for his character throughout the entire movie; Commodus – the coward!

As I thought about that scene, I realized the rebuttals in my mind were questions that no longer needed to be answered. They became irrelevant.

Was it technically wrong (a.k.a. sinful) for Commodus to show up at the end of the battle, after victory had been secured? No, I don’t believe it was. He was the prince. He could do what he wanted. I imagine there would have been a hundred convincing rebuttals in his mind, but make no mistake about it, he was still a coward. Furthermore, his cowardice meant that he was not living a life worthy of his father, the great king, Marcus Aurelius.

As I contemplated that scene, and my brother Jeff, and the current reality of my circumstance on that plane, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is that me?

Is it possible that I am Commodus? Is it possible that these business class seats reflect something of much greater concern about my Christianity?  Am I a man who loves to study, and talk, and write, about what it means to pick up a cross and follow Christ, but isn’t actually doing it? Am I truly fighting side by side with my brother Jeff?  Or have I left him all alone on the field of battle?

As I thought about that last question, I remember a tear began to run down my face. I thought about how lonely it must be for those weary soldiers of Christ who have showed up to the fight: The ones who are on the front-line risking everything for Him. The ones whose hands are calloused from wielding a sword. The ones who carry the stench of war and death, and whose faces drip with sweat and blood, because they made the conscious decision to suffer for Him during this life. How must they feel when they look to their right, and to their left, and see no brother by their side? I wonder what goes through their mind when they turn around, and with squinted eyes, get a glimpse of the ones who profess to be their comrades, sitting atop their horses in shiny armor, cheering them on from afar? Are they encouraged by those cheers?

As I stared out the window of that plane and pondered these things, that business class pod I was sitting in was becoming a little less comfortable. All I could do was pray: Oh Lord, let me not live a life of cowardice! I don’t want to leave my brother all alone on the field of battle.  I beg you, do not let me be so deceived as to be a hearer of the word, and a writer of the word, and a preacher of the word, but not a doer of the word!

I know that an article like this tends to illicit a wide range of responses. Many won’t be able to get past me experiencing personal conviction about business class seats. They will say I am living under the Law and that I have forgotten it’s all about grace. Others are going to read this and interpret it as me saying that all Christians must live miserable lives of self-denial and suffering or else they are lukewarm cowards. Neither of those things are true.

The truth is that this article is about joy. It is about a better life. It is about a treasure that is of such value that when a man finds it, he joyfully lays down everything to acquire it.(Matthew 13:44) It’s about a treasure of such value that a man would find himself grateful to have the opportunity to suffer for it during this life. He would consider those sufferings to be “light and momentary affliction”. He would consider everything laid down to be of no value in comparison to what he has gained.

Is this the type of treasure you are searching for? Are you looking for a better life; One that is filled with joy unspeakable? Have any of my blog posts resonated with you?  If so, I would like to invite you to watch something special I’ve prepared for you. For the last 6 months I’ve been working on a film about the 3 trips I’ve taken to Kenya to visit Mercy Home, and how God has used those trips to change my life. I’m confident that you will not only enjoy this film, but that it will fill in the gaps where my written words have proved to be deficient.