Romans 16:1-16
Dear RTB’ers,
Paul sends greetings and love by name to a couple dozen people in today’s reading. Most of them are quick mentions; only Phoebe and Prisca and Aquila have a couple of comment verses from Paul. We’ve seen Prisca and Aquila before. You may recall that Paul met them in Corinth in Acts 18. They had recently come from Italy, having been run out of town by Claudius. Paul was a tent maker by trade, as was Aquila, so Paul stayed with them in Corinth. Then Paul took them to Ephesus with him and now we find them back in Rome. So it’s no surprise that they get more than a quick mention.
So that brings us to Phoebe, she of more words than any other person mentioned in today’s reading. So, who is she? All we know is what we read today. There is no other mention of her in the rest of Scripture. Cenchrea is a port city near Corinth, so apparently Phoebe is leaving the Corinth area and traveling to Rome. Paul simply asks the Romans to receive her graciously as he offers high commendation for her. One AI search suggested that she may have been the courier bringing this letter to the Romans. Very possibly!
So, a lot of names, a lot of people, and Paul knew each of them personally. But let’s not diminish the “quick mention” of these people. They are known to Paul and highly regarded by him. That alone places them in good company!
Blessings!
As Fred pointed out, Paul knew all these people personally. But more than that, he knows these people well, and it is obvious that he has great affection for them. But how about us? How well do we really know one another or care for one another? Sure, we may chat over coffee, but do we know each other? If not, why not? See also last year’s post: December 14 / Romans 15:14-16:27; Acts 20:3b-21:16.
I think it is a good challenge to ask ourselves, as John suggests, what Paul would say about us if he were to write a letter to the church at St. Andrew’s. We can commend ourselves for keeping the faith and walking away from the churches we belonged to before when they diverged from the gospel. But I think it is wise not to rest on our laurels, so to speak.
Here is a list of some of Paul’s commendations:
I’m challenged to find myself more and more defined by the descriptions on this list!