Ordinary Days #21: The philanthropy of God

When the loving kindness (philanthrōpia)

    of God our Savior appeared,

    he rescued us. (Titus 3:4-5)

Philanthropy appears twice in the Ship voyage from Jerusalem/Caesarea to Malta/Puteoli. It appears once at the beginning when “Julius treated Paul kindly (philanthrōpos) giving him leave to be with his friends and to be cared for” (Ac 27:3); and then again, at the end when washed up on shore and “the natives showed kindness (philanthrōpia), and welcomed all of them” (Ac 28:2). Nothing more is said of Julius save that he was the Roman military commander in charge of the prisoners on ship and that, for some reason, he took a liking to Paul. As for the Islanders, nothing is said of their faith or lack of faith—just humans who showed remarkable kindness through three winter months to all 276 survivors of the ship wreck.

Philanthropy will make one more appearance in the Bible: “When the loving kindness (philanthrōpia) of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3). Something of a surprise, isn’t it? No use of agape here. Just this most human of love words. That God—Father, Son, and Spirit; is a philanthropist. He likes humans—hard to believe. Maybe God still sees, in spite of our sin and our shame, something of Himself in us—something of God’s own Image remains in us.