The words of John Donne, "No man is an island, entire of itself" are no place truer than in the Church. Anyone who has sought to go it alone has quickly discovered that it does not work. Oh, you may retreat from others for awhile and think you’re doing okay, but you’re only fooling yourself. True fulfillment in Christ only comes through a living relationship, not only with Him, but also with others. It is important for us to see ourselves as a part of an extended family, the Family of God.
No one knew this better than the Apostle Paul. Throughout his entire ministry he not only depended on the help of others, but he sought to include them in the work. Here, in the sixteenth chapter of Romans, he reveals just how much others were a part of the family. Perhaps the words of the great apostle will help us see just how necessary we all are to one another.
He begins by recognizing some special friends in the Lord who have been of help in the church. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. (vv. 1-2)
Phoebe was probably a businesswoman in that day. She was from Cenchrea, a port of Corinth located about nine miles east of the city. No doubt she was the bearer of the letter to the Roman church, and Paul commends her to them. But she was more than just a messenger. She was a worker in the church. Paul calls her a "servant" in the church, which is the same word translated "deacon" elsewhere in the New Testament. Whether she held that position, we do know that she ministered to many, including Paul, and was highly regarded for the work she had done.
Next comes a well-known husband and wife team. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. (vv.3-5a)
The first time we hear of Priscilla and Aquila is in Acts 18:2. Luke tells us that they were tentmakers by trade. They once lived in Rome and had been driven out by the decree of Emperor Claudius in 52 AD. They moved to Corinth and there met Paul. When Paul moved on to Ephesus they went with him. While in Ephesus the great Jewish orator Apollos came through preaching essentially what John the Baptist preached, that "One was coming." This couple took this mighty preacher aside and shared with him the full gospel of Jesus Christ the Messiah, Who had come. Apollos went on to Corinth where he had a mighty ministry in the Word of God. Prisca and Aquila were used in a great way.
Paul says that they "risked their lives" for him. He is probably referring to the uproar that broke out in Ephesus, recorded in Act 19, when a mob was trying to kill Paul. Undoubtedly, they had put themselves at risk to save him.
Throughout their ministry they lived in several places, first in Rome, then in Corinth, then Ephesus, back to Rome, and finally back to Ephesus. But wherever they were, they opened their hearts and homes to be used of God. We read of "the church that meets at their house." The early church gathered not only in large gatherings for celebration but also in homes for nurture and fellowship. They used their homes as a place where the church could gather and ministry could happen.
Next Paul lists many who were faithful in Christ. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. (v.5b) We do not know much about Epenetus, except that he was the first to receive Christ in Asia. Paul certainly knew him. He didn’t forget those who were the first to come to faith in an area.
Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (v.6) In the New Testament we have a half dozen Marys. There is the mother of the Lord, Magdalene, the wife of Clopas, the sister of Lazarus, the mother of John Mark, and this Mary of Rome. All we know of her was that she worked hard to assist the church in Rome. She is called a "toiler," for that is how you could translate "worked very hard." Here is someone with the gift of helps. She worked hard. Maybe she was leader of the social ministry team in Rome.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. (v.7) Whether this is a couple or two men we are not sure. Junias, a masculine form appears in some texts as Junia, which is a feminine form. This is significant because it states that they "are outstanding among the apostles." It is not clear whether they were themselves apostles or merely highly regarded by the apostles. If they were apostles then we may have a female apostle here. We know from Scripture that besides the "Twelve" apostles, there were others who held that title. Paul, Silas, Timothy, Barnabas, James the Lord’s brother, and others are called apostles. Apostle simply means "one who is sent." Our missionaries could be termed modern day apostles. In any case we have two people who were serving Christ with distinction.
Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. (vv.8-10a)
Ampliatus is the single name carved on a tombstone in the earliest of the Christian catacombs, the cemetery of Domatilla. Because it is a single name it probably indicates that he was a slave. Roman citizens had three names, a nomen, a praenomen, and a cognomen. But because of the decorative nature of the tomb it indicates he was a man of high rank in the church. It is glorious that in the church there is no discrimination because of worldly status. A slave may become a prince in the church.
Urbanus and Stachys are not known to us, but here they are, for all time counted in the advance of the kingdom and in the work of the church in Rome.
Apelles is also unknown to us. His name means "called." And we know he was "approved in Christ." Wouldn’t you like to be known as one approved by Christ? What an epitaph!
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. (vv.10b-11)
Aristobulus could have been the grandson of Herod the Great. There was such a grandson living who lived in Rome. He was a friend of Emperor Claudius. Paul may be referring to those who were Aristobulus’ servants and slaves, who, upon his death, became the property of the Emperor but retained the designation, "the household of Aristobulus."
We know nothing of Herodion, who may have been a relative of Paul. And Narcissus may be the former slave who became personal secretary to Emperor Claudius. It is said that he amassed a fortune of perhaps over $10,000,000 at that position because of bribes from people to assure that their petitions reached the Emperor. After Nero came to the throne, Narcissus and others were compelled to commit suicide and those of whom our text refers could be the slaves and servants which passed into the Emperor’s possession.
If Aristobulus was the grandson of Herod, and if Narcissus is the same secretary to Claudius, then within the Imperial court were many slaves who were already Christians. God was at work infiltrating the courts of power with His influence.
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. (vv.12-13)
Tryphena and Tryphosa mean "dainty" and "delicate." But in the text Paul says that they "work hard in the Lord." The word in Greek means "to toil to the point of exhaustion." It is amusing that those who were so dainty and delicate would work so hard. Paul may very well have smiled when he referred to them.
Persis could have been an older sister to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, since her work is referred to in the past tense. She also worked hard.
Rufus is no doubt the son of Simon of Cyrene. In Mark 15:21 we read of Simon of Cyrene being compelled to carry the cross of Jesus and that he was "the father of Alexander and Rufus." Mark wrote his gospel for the church at Rome. They would know who Rufus and Alexander were. There was an Alexander who came to the aid of Paul during an outcry in Ephesus. Rufus and Alexander were servants of God. Their mother was also like a mother to Paul. Here was a family that was in the faith because of an encounter with Jesus. One can only speculate concerning Simon’s encounter with the Lord. What must it have been like to carry the cross for Jesus? How would you have felt to look into the Master’s eyes during that awesome moment? Perhaps at first he did not want to bear the burden of the cross. But what was a burden became his greatest honor. I can almost see the Lord in this terrible hour stopping to thank Simon. And as Simon looked into our Savior’s eyes, he saw the heart of God.
Next, Paul mentions two groups of Christians. Perhaps they were two house-churches which met in Rome. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. (vv.14-15) Not much is known about these people, but because they are mentioned as two groups of Christians we may conclude that they are small congregations which met in Rome.
Paul sums up this section with a final greeting: Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. (v.16)
In the next section Paul gives us warning concerning certain people who make their way into the church.
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (vv. 17-20)
How are we to deal with those who are causing strife in the church? Paul exhorts us to do two things: Mark them! and Avoid them! (KJV) Or as our text has it: Watch out for them! and Keep away from them! That is good advice. What he is giving us here is preventative medicine.
All too often there are those in a church who are contentious. Sometimes they want to emphasize a doctrine. Often they want their opinions to carry the day. Some just seem to enjoy being contrary. The end result is strife. But Jesus emphasized that we should exhibit unity in the church because unity is essential to our survival. Yet, some, for the sake of their point of view would destroy the unity of the church. How do we deal with them? We avoid them! We keep our eye on them and turn away from them. In other words we don’t listen to them. We are never obligated to hear a person out when what they are saying is not consistent with Christian speech. If they are tearing down the church, pastor, deacons, a Sunday School teacher, a worker, or any believer, we should not listen. God forbid that we listen, and God forbid that, out of a misguided idea of courtesy, we seem to agree!
When you hear someone running another believer down, you should stop them at once. Try saying something like this: "It seems that you have a problem with so-and-so. I really think you should talk to them and not me about it. The Bible encourages us to speak the truth in love to one another, so why don’t I get you together with so-and-so and we’ll straighten this out?" That person will do one of two things. They will either get the problem straight or they will quit talking to you about it.
You may be saying, "But I may be able to help them if I listen and share with them." Let me ask you something. Do you help make something right by doing something that is wrong? We are not to receive accusations about one another. We are not to listen to someone pull any other believer down. We must not allow others to fill our minds with things that are only one sided, and may be untrue altogether. It will only allow the Devil to use those things to create doubts, make us choose sides, and create strife and discord. If we will stand for righteousness in terms of avoiding those who create strife, we will send a message that we stand together in Christ. Remember, no one has made us judges of one another.
Paul says these people are guided by their own desires or appetites. Look at their motivation. Are they upset because things are not going the way they want them to go and mounting a campaign in violation to Scripture? Don’t give heed to them. Paul says, "I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
Notice what is next in verse 20: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The God of peace is a God of action! Sometimes the way peace comes is not through ignoring conflict, but by dealing decisively with it. God will bring peace by dealing a crushing blow to Satan. The victory will come by the strong arm of our God. We must never be afraid to deal with our problems. We have the victory in Christ.
Paul has sent greetings to fellow workers in Rome. He has warned them about seditious professing believers. Now he acknowledges those who are with him as he sends this letter.
Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. (vv.21-24)
Here Paul names several faithful brethren who were with him and who had helped him in the ministry. These no doubt were special saints of God who were dear to Paul.
Timothy is the best known to us. He was the young man who had been raised by his godly mother and grandmother. Timothy became Paul’s right hand man, and Paul considered Timothy as a son in the faith. He was entrusted with the care of churches which Paul had founded, and was a faithful co-laborer in the ministry.
Lucius is probably Lucius of Cyrene, one of the prophets and teachers at Antioch mentioned in Acts 13. Jason may the one mentioned in Acts 17 who suffered for giving Paul hospitality at Thessalonica. Sosipater may be the man referred to in Acts 20 as Sopater of Berea who took his church’s offering to Jerusalem. Tertius is Paul’s amanuensis, or penman. It was custom in that day to dictate a letter to a secretary. He sends a special greeting to Rome. Gaius may be one of the two people mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14 whom Paul baptized in Corinth. He was Paul’s host. Erastus may be the Erastus mentioned in Acts 19 as being sent with Timothy to Macedonia. Some translations have him as the city treasurer in Corinth, the NIV calls him the city’s director of public works, in either case no small position in the government. Quartus is simply called "our brother." We do not know much else about him.
There are thirty-six people referred to specifically in this chapter and many others referred to indirectly. They all had something to do with the expanding of the Kingdom of God. They were important to Paul because they were important to God. Paul knew he needed them, that they were a part of the same family, the family of God. Those who are sitting around you are a part of that same family. We need one another. We must learn to recognize that need and to express to one another how much we appreciate each other. We are in this together, because Jesus Christ called us out of darkness into light. We must remember that He put us together. And we must remember that he does all things well.
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