Final Greetings
7Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
16After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."
18I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Dig Deeper
Recently I talked to a good friend of mine who is a disciple in a different city. It was great hear from him and catch up on how things are going in the town in which he lives. I happen to know quite a few people from his church as I have traveled there quite a few times and there have been a few times when Christians from his community have visited the communities of which I have been apart. As we caught up, he sent greetings from the people I knew and we talked for a few moments about some Christians that we both knew that one or another of us had talked to recently. What may have seemed like idle conversation to an outside observer actually performed the important function of both showing the care and concern that flows from one Christian family to another as well as strengthening the bonds of brotherhood that are so vital amongst God’s people.
As Paul brings this letter to the Colossians to a close, he does no less. He will mention several people that the Colossians know, some of whom were apparently from Colosse. As he strengthens the bonds of brotherhood and ties between various church families, Paul also includes information that lets us know a little bit more about his situation, the situation in Colosse, and his own personal feelings.
Paul sent Tychicus to Colosse as a personal friend and messenger who would also probably bring this letter. Tychicus would, no doubt, encourage them as his visit would serve a first-hand account of how Paul was doing and share the love and ministry of Paul directly. Paul’s relationship with Tychicus went back to Ephesus (Acts 20:4), where he may have spent some time as a church leader (Eph. 6:1; 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12).
Paul is not just introducing Tychicus and sending the Colossians a link between them and his own ministry, he is sending Onesimus, one of their very own. Onesimus had also become quite important in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, and would have been able to share some of that good news, but his homecoming would likely have been accompanied by some strong mixed emotions. He was a slave to Philemon who had run away and was now returning as Paul’s messenger, but also with a letter to Philemon and his house church that would attempt to resolve the situation according to the love and peace of Christ that should characterize those in the body of Christ.
Paul is not only sending messengers to strengthen the bonds between him and the Colossians, he also wishes to send greetings from those who are important in Paul’s ministry. He sends his greetings from John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (Mark 14:51; Acts 12:12, 25; 13:13; 15:37, 39; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24), Jesus, who is called Justus, and Aristarchus (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2). It is not clear whether Paul’s mention of Aristarchus as his fellow prisoner, is metaphorical or literal, but he likely literally means that Aristarchus is physically in jail with him. This is where Paul’s vulnerability and personal feelings really show through. Paul had been violently opposed by his fellow Jews wherever he went, which must have been particularly difficult. Surely he expected opposition and persecution, but he also expected a good number of Jewish Christians to become his co-workers. That these three are the only Jews among his fellow workers for the kingdom of God, had proved a comfort to him, but also reminds us how difficult life really was for Paul. Sometimes we can look at Paul as though all of the things he went through on behalf of the kingdom of God was somehow easy for him. Passages like this, though, remind us that he was deeply human, complete with all of the mixed emotions and loneliness that he had to learn to deal with on a daily basis. Life wasn’t easy, but Paul trusted God, and that was enough comfort for him.
In creating ties and bonds between those in Colosse and Paul’s ministry, it is of little surprise that Paul mentions Epaphras, the one who began the church in Colosse through his own missionary efforts. It appears that Epaphras had come to Ephesus during Paul’s three-year stay there (Acts 20:31), and had been converted, perhaps as a result of his constant teaching at the lecture hall in Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10). Evidently, Epaphras had become well-schooled in Paul’s teaching and way of life, and was prepared to become a missionary on his own. He had then brought the message of the gospel back to his home town and given birth to the believers in Colosse, a group that may have numbered no more than perhaps two dozen people when Paul wrote this letter. We also discover, through Paul’s words here, that Epaphras didn’t just come home, plant a church and then move on, abandoning the young community that he had planted. He was constantly wrestling in prayer for them, specifically that they would stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Doing God’s will is where mankind failed in the Garden of Eden, and it is the very hallmark of God’s people who do God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven (Luke 11:1-4). Paul assures them that Epaphras is doing God’s will, working hard, not only for them, but for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. This is a good reminder for us, that work done in expanding God’s kingdom, wherever it may be done, is work for the body of Christ, and thus, is work done on our behalf. So, even if Epaphras was off working in Laodicea, his work was still ultimately for the benefit of those in Colosse.
Paul also sends greetings from Luke, the beloved doctor, and Demas. Luke, of course, was the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, and his relationship with Paul would remain close and strong (2 Tim. 4:11). Demas, however, would sadly take another course later in life as we are told that "Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me" (2 Tim. 4:10).
As Paul brings the letter to a close, we can learn some interesting aspects about life in the first-century church. First, we see that the primary place of meeting for Christians was in homes. It wasn’t until the late 2nd or even early 3rd century that Christians began to meet in buildings set aside solely for worship. Second, we see that it was apparently a normal occurrence to have fellowship between Christian communities in different towns. Paul’s encouragement to share letters with the church in Laodicea (a letter that may well have been what we now call "Ephesians") doesn’t appear to be something unusual or unique, so it was probably normal for them to have contact with the churches around them.
Paul ends the letter with a specific exhortation to Archippus to complete his work that he received in the Lord, although we will likely never know exactly to what Paul is referring here. The final point of connection and bonding that Paul creates is to write the final few words in his own hand rather than having a scribe write it. This would have given the letter a sense of bonding and intimacy. As they read his closing remarks in his own words, he pleads with them to remember his chains, which likely means that he is appealing to them to respect his ministry and what he has gone through for the sake of the gospel. This closing passage reminds us that the gospel is many things, but ultimately, it is about people and relationships, a lesson that we would do well to remember in our world today.
Devotional Thought
The connections in the body of Christ that come as a result of the gospel are, in the end, ultimately about relationships, both creating and strengthening them. How much time and effort do you put in to creating and strengthening relationships in the body of Christ?
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