Philippians 2:19-24

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.



Dig Deeper

In order for the students to graduate in the high school at which I taught for many years, they had to complete thirty hours of community service during their senior year. There were many different ways that they could fulfill their hours, and most of the students looked for the easiest ways to complete their service. They often like to get hooked up with a church or community aid organization, because usually the people at those places took it really easy on the students and they didn’t have to do much. As a place of last resort, some students would volunteer to assist teachers at the school and get their hours that way. One year, though, I had a young lady who volunteered to be my assistant. She proved to be invaluable, becoming a secretary of sorts. She helped me greatly during the time that I not only taught history, but I was also coaching the boys basketball team, and was the commissioner of our athletic conference. She became a major asset in keeping all of the paperwork straight, scheduling events and referees and countless other duties. In early February, one of the teachers had a major project coming up for them and put up signs to elicit someone to volunteer to help and to fulfill their hours. No one volunteered though, and the teacher asked me if this young lady could come and help her. She was willing because she sincerely loved to help and work with the teachers even though she had easily tripled her necessary hours. I believed greatly in the project the teacher was working on and told her that I would love to send this student over to her, but she had become so valuable to me that I had to wait until the basketball season was over. I simply could not spare her at the moment, but I did truly want to send her when I could.

It seems a little odd that in the middle of calling the Philippians to the genuine life of Christ and offering them examples so they can have a better idea of what that might look like in real life, that he would suddenly start to talk about Timothy and when he will send him to help out the Philippians. It seems strange, that is, until we realize that what Paul is in fact doing, is offering them up another example of a life that puts the interests of others above his own and truly has embraced the fullness of the life in Christ. Timothy is so valuable, in fact, that as much as Paul would like to send him there, and he truly would, he needs Timothy to stay with him until things have settled down for Paul a bit more and he can actually spare him.

Paul truly does want to send Timothy to them soon, which is evidenced by the fact that he doesn’t just wish that he can or say that he would like to, rather he hopes in the Lord Jesus. This means that Paul’s desire to send Timothy to them is part and parcel of his life in Christ. He wants to send Timothy because of his love for them and his recognition that as part of the body of Christ, they need the encouragement that Timothy will bring. At the same time, Paul desires to send him so that Timothy can return with good news (Paul is fairly confident that the news will be good) of the Philippians.

Paul pays Timothy a weighty compliment in verse 20 that appears to be a pretty severe rebuke for the other workers under him in Ephesus (presumably although we don’t know for sure that it was Ephesus). He says that he has no one else like Timothy. Timothy genuinely lives the life of Christ in his actions not just what he says. He actively takes a genuine interest in the welfare of others. Everyone else, he says, looks out for his own interests, but not Timothy. That doesn’t seem to speak well of those around him in Ephesus, but probably has more to do with the excellence of Timothy than with his actual disappointment with anyone else (although he may be comparing Timothy to non-Christians rather than the other Christian workers). Timothy’s life in Christ is so exemplary, that no one else comes close at the moment. Timothy does not look out for his own interests, but those of Jesus Christ. Notice Paul’s belief here that looking out for the interests of other Christians and looking out for the interests of Jesus Christ are virtually synonymous. Truly when one serves the people of Christ, they are serving the Messiah, for what is true of the King is true of his people.

Paul is affirming for the Philippians, something that they already know, namely that Timothy has proved himself. He’s not writing this letter so much as a letter of recommendation of someone they don’t know, but a reminder of what kind of man Timothy is and what kind of people Paul would like them to be. It is just as interesting here, though, to look at what Paul doesn’t say concerning Timothy. He doesn’t say that he is a trustworthy partner in the gospel because he is uncommonly intelligent, or a great preacher, or talented in evangelism. Paul’s criterion of a trustworthy and commendable Christian and pastor seem to be limited to that he puts the interests of the body of Christ ahead of his own and he understands the true concept of the family of Christ, as he has served Paul in every way that a son would serve his father. Fulfilling the life of Christ, apparently has more to do with dying to our own interests and exhibiting unselfish love than it does with any personal accomplishments or ability.

Paul, hopes to send Timothy so that they can not only read about him but so that they can see his example in person. He is a living, breathing example of the attitude of Christ which Paul described in verses 5-8 and called the Philippians to in verses 1-4. But, Paul knows that he must wait until he can see how things go with me, which is presumably a reference to a pending trial that he is facing. Once Paul has a better understanding of his fate, he will have a clearer picture of when he can send Timothy to them. He is still fairly confident, however, that he will be able to come see them soon. Whether or not he ever did has been lost to history.

One final note that is worth paying attention to is the way that Paul brilliantly created networks between people and churches. In fact, one gets the sense that they were the lifeblood of the early church. Churches can send money to one another, can share the same doctrines and practices, but nothing creates and maintains unity the way that face-to-face connections and relationships do. Indeed, these kind of connections are far more valuable than anything else when it comes to unity between communities of Christ that are separated by geography.



Devotional Thought

Personal relationships between members of different church communities were a vital means of support and unity in the early church. How much effort do you make to develop and maintain those types of relationships outside of your local church body? What would the benefits be of improving your efforts in that area?