Philippians 2:19-30
Dear RTB’ers,
Today we have Paul speaking about two of his fellow believers, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus is new to us; he is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible except for a later mention of him in this letter. We met Timothy long ago in the book of Acts (Acts 16:1-3) when Paul was in Lystra on his second missionary journey. We also read Paul’s two letters to Timothy during our first year in Search the Scriptures, plus Paul mentions him in a number of his other epistles, mostly as his traveling companion or as a sent messenger to cities where Paul has ministered. Paul has kind, loving words for this young believer (Philippians 2:20-22).
Both my Study Bible and an online commentary suggest that Epaphroditus was from Philippi, so mention of him and his service to Paul in this letter is fully appropriate. As with Timothy, Paul speaks highly of Epaphroditus – but he leaves me confused with the following verse: …for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. (v. 30) Something was “lacking” in the Philippians’ service to Paul? What’s that about?
Again, from yesterday, verses worth repeating: Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (vv. 9-11)
Blessings.
Regarding Epaphroditus’ “complet[ing] what was lacking in [the Philippians’] service to” Paul, for a little clarification I’d like to suggest we consider an alternate scenario in which Epaphroditus dropped the ball and never showed up and thus never delivered encouraging messages nor any financial aid to Paul. In such a scenario, even though the Philippian church as a whole might have had plenty of encouragement for Paul and might have sacrificed financially for his support, if Epaphroditus hadn’t done his part, it would have all fallen short. It was the “boots on the ground” working of Epaphroditus that “completed” the Philippians’ service to Paul.
Significantly, Paul uses very similar language in Colossians 1:24:
I think we all know that Christ’s work on the Cross is complete and fully sufficient in every way, right? And yet, somehow, God chooses to give us, His Church, a role in His redemptive work. We are His “boots on the ground” and as we identify with Christ, even our suffering has meaning as it connects us with Christ’s suffering. There is a lot of rich food for thought here, and I cannot possibly plumb the depths of this mystery in a few words, but we would all do well to think seriously about how we, too, might “fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”