The Return of Epaphroditus

It is always fascinating to get a look at the personal relationships between members of the first-century church, and we are fortunate that Philippians 2:19–30 provides us such a glimpse. Thus far we have been given a hint of the warm affection that Paul felt for Timothy and the genuine love that both the Apostle and his delegate felt for the Philippian congregation (vv. 19–24). Today we are introduced to another early church relationship with Paul’s reference to Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25–26.

When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he was planning to send not only Timothy but also Epaphroditus to the Philippians (vv. 19, 25). Scholars generally agree that Paul intended on sending Epaphroditus immediately after writing the epistle, maybe even as the letter’s courier. The Apostle would then send Timothy some time later, after gaining clarity on his legal status (v. 23). In any case, we should note the way Paul calls Epaphroditus the Philippians’ “messenger” and “minister” to his needs in prison (v. 25). This tells us that Epaphroditus brought the Philippians’ monetary gift to Paul in Rome, and this is confirmed in 4:18. You may recall that in the ancient world, the state did not take care of prisoners as it does in our modern penal system. Prisoners such as Paul depended on the care of family and friends to meet their needs, and since the money Epaphroditus brought would have been used for his care, the Apostle rightly saw him as a minister.

Epaphroditus, therefore, was one of the Philippian Christians whom Paul loved dearly, and this Philippian believer also had a great love for his fellow brethren in the city. As 2:26 tells us, Epaphroditus was longing for the Philippians because they had heard that he was sick. Evidently, he knew that his brothers and sisters in Christ were greatly concerned for him and worried about his condition; thus, he wanted to get back to them as soon as possible in order to reassure them that he was all right. Epaphroditus’ attentive care to calm his fretful brethren is certainly an example of looking to the interests of others (v. 4), and we should likewise be attentive to the feelings of our Christian brothers and sisters if we are to fulfill the Apostolic imperative to love one another (1 John 3:11).