In these
verses, Paul commended another of his close associate, Epaphroditus. From the
way Paul described him, we can sense that they were very close indeed. In verse
25, Paul described him as a brother, a co-worker,
a fellow soldier, a messenger sent by the Philippians, and a minister to Paul.
Apparently,
he stuck to the job assigned to him and showed great tenacity. He did not quit
although he was critically ill and almost died. Epaphroditus was sent to Paul
to minister to him in prison. While with the apostle, he fell critically ill to
the point of death. Still he was concerned for the Philippians. He wanted to keep
the news of his sickness from them so that they would not be stressed. But he was
distressed, when he knew that the Philippians were aware of his condition.
In verses 26
and 27, Paul gave two reasons for why he was sending Epaphroditus back to the
Philippians: First because he was sick and nigh to death (v.27), and second was
because he was homesick as a result of his sickness (v.26).
However, God
was merciful to both Epaphroditus and Paul. So the aged Apostle now sent him
back to Philippi. Paul appealed to them to accept him joyfully. They were also
told to honor him and hold such people in high esteem. Bear in mind that
Epaphroditus did not quit. It was Paul who sent him back to them.
In a sense
Paul was afraid that the Philippians would conclude that Epaphroditus was a
quitter. So he wrote to assure them that he did not. He wanted them to know
that he was the one who initiated the move to send him back to them.
What can we learn from the portraits of Epaphroditus painted by Paul
for us? We see him as a person who was committed to his task, who would not
quit even when his life was at risk. He may be different form Timothy or Paul
but he was like his Savior. He not only loved his work but also his Lord, and
would gladly emulate Him. What we see in Epaphroditus can be true of us too,
for we have a Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
No comments:
Post a Comment