May 2 – Philippians 2:25-30
“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.”
Poor Epaphroditus. He so desperately wanted to be there to take care of Paul, but his poor body failed him miserably!
Normally, in Paul’s letters, these words of commendation come at the end of the letters, but in this letter to the church in Philippi, Paul needed to let them know about the two young men (Timothy and Epaphroditus) that were coming to them with this letter. In Phil. 4:18, we see that the church had originally sent Epaphroditus to Paul with gifts of cash and supplies. More than likely, the church had intended for him to stay with Paul, but a sickness that nearly led to death scared Paul.
The name ‘Epaphroditus’ means ‘charming.’ Epaphroditus was very close to Paul. He was like a brother, he worked alongside Paul and the words ‘take care of my needs’ literally means to act as a priest. Paul saw Epraphroditus’ service to him as nearly a holy thing. This young man was important to Paul.
When Paul saw that Epaphroditus was willing to stay even though he had put his own health at risk, that was too much. Paul couldn’t ask that of him. So he sent him back to Philippi to be with his family and friends. That way they would be happy and Paul would no longer worry.
He asked the church to honor Epaphroditus because of his willingness to sacrifice and because he was willing to do so in the name of this church. Since they all couldn’t go to care for Paul, Epaphroditus was the one who represented them.
As I’ve been writing about the growth of the missionary societies throughout the 1800s and the importance of their work, I wonder about how we honor those who go to serve Christ in our name. Even closer to home, I wonder about how we honor those who serve as pastors and leaders in our churches. They are placed in these positions with a lot of responsibility and expectations. Do we honor them and welcome them home with great joy?
“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.”
Poor Epaphroditus. He so desperately wanted to be there to take care of Paul, but his poor body failed him miserably!
Normally, in Paul’s letters, these words of commendation come at the end of the letters, but in this letter to the church in Philippi, Paul needed to let them know about the two young men (Timothy and Epaphroditus) that were coming to them with this letter. In Phil. 4:18, we see that the church had originally sent Epaphroditus to Paul with gifts of cash and supplies. More than likely, the church had intended for him to stay with Paul, but a sickness that nearly led to death scared Paul.
The name ‘Epaphroditus’ means ‘charming.’ Epaphroditus was very close to Paul. He was like a brother, he worked alongside Paul and the words ‘take care of my needs’ literally means to act as a priest. Paul saw Epraphroditus’ service to him as nearly a holy thing. This young man was important to Paul.
When Paul saw that Epaphroditus was willing to stay even though he had put his own health at risk, that was too much. Paul couldn’t ask that of him. So he sent him back to Philippi to be with his family and friends. That way they would be happy and Paul would no longer worry.
He asked the church to honor Epaphroditus because of his willingness to sacrifice and because he was willing to do so in the name of this church. Since they all couldn’t go to care for Paul, Epaphroditus was the one who represented them.
As I’ve been writing about the growth of the missionary societies throughout the 1800s and the importance of their work, I wonder about how we honor those who go to serve Christ in our name. Even closer to home, I wonder about how we honor those who serve as pastors and leaders in our churches. They are placed in these positions with a lot of responsibility and expectations. Do we honor them and welcome them home with great joy?
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