Philippians 4: 21-23
The blessings and greetings which are to be found at the
beginning and end of most of Paul’s letters, and indeed in several other books
of the New Testament as well, are often overlooked in our study of these works.
Often, we will simply glance over them and give them but passing consideration
as we study. However, we should note that there are often important pieces of
information contained in these salutations, as well as some important thoughts
which help us to understand the relationship that existed between the brethren
in the first century, as well as those that should exist between the brethren
united in Christ in our own time.
In the book of Philippians, we find the closing salutations in chapter 4, verses
21 to 23. Unlike in other books, we do not have any brethren specifically named.
Nonetheless, we are able to identify two specific groups of brethren whom Paul
mentions in these verses. The first consists of the “brethren which are with
me”. These Christians were presumably those who were actually gathered in Rome
with Paul himself, some of whom are mentioned by name in other Pauline epistles.
We know, for example, that Philippians was written about the same time as
Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon, so it is likely that the group here referred
to included Tychicus, who carried the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians,
along with Onesimus (Eph. 6: 21; Col. 4: 7-9; Philem. 10-12. The group who
remained at Rome with Paul at this time seems to have included Epaphras (Col. 4:
12-13; Philem. 23), possibly the same person as Epaphroditus, a member of the
church at Philippi (Phil. 2: 25-30); Mark, the writer of the second gospel (Col.
4: 10; Philem. 24); Luke, who was probably even then working on the third Gospel
and Acts (Col. 4: 14; Philem. 24); Demas, who would eventually forsake Paul
(Col. 4: 14; Philem. 24; II Tim. 4: 10); as well as others such as Jesus called
Justus and Aristarchus of whom we know little besides their names.
As we read the names of this group of dedicated workers for the Lord, we cannot
help but feel some of the friendship and fellowship that existed between these
people. It is hard enough for us to leave one another in these days of e-mail,
telephone and airliners, when we can keep in constant touch. We can only imagine
what it would have been like for these brethren, who as often as not might never
expect to see one another again (Phil. 2: 21). Yet, for all that, we see them
rejoicing in their fellowship and in the common labours for the Lord an for His
cause. It is immediately apparent what a consolation it would have been for Paul
to have had the comfort of these brethren’s presence and help while he was
imprisoned for Christ. Equally, we can see the comforting effect it would have
had for the Philippian brethren to know that “all the brethren which are with
me” were thinking of them and praying for them. We also should not underestimate
the effect of a simple greeting in Christ on our fellow brethren. It can be a
great help, especially when encountering trials and tribulations, to know that
there are brethren many miles away, even some we may never have met, who are
thinking of us and praying for us.
We then, as often as we can, should offer our prayers for the work of the Lord
all over the world, and if it is possible we should let those brethren know that
they are in our thoughts and our prayers. Even brethren who speak different
languages, who practice different customs, even in the expedient parts of their
worship, have far more in common with us than they have which keeps us apart. I
noticed this very much last year when I was privileged to travel to Zambia and
to reach the gospel there with a group from Truth for the World. Even though
there were vast differences between us in so many areas, even in the way we
conducted our worship services (in expedient matters such as song books, order
and times of service etc.) I immediately felt that I was among brethren who were
working in the same cause I was, and who valued the same things. Especially when
faced by things which are ‘different’ to our accustomed practices, we can slip
into thinking that they are perhaps “ignorant” or “unlearned”, when in fact they
are only different, and their practices are in no way inferior to our own. We
can all learn one from another: the most important thing to remember is that we
are all brethren, and there is much more that brings us together than tears us
apart.
In verse 22 we can also see some evidence of Paul’s evangelistic activity in the
city of Rome itself. Having given greetings from the brethren who were actually
with Paul, he then gives greetings from “all the saints”, in other words, from
all the Christians who were meeting in the city of Rome. There seems to have
been a number of congregations within the city of Rome at this time, due no
doubt to the large size of the city and its great population, far in advance of
the population of any other city in the Roman world. This stands in stark
contrast to the usual reason for the proliferation in numbers of congregations
today! Paul was sending greetings from all these brethren – even though they met
in separate locations on the Lord’s Day and other assemblies, it is clear they
were all known to one another and were in fellowship with one another.
One particular group is mentioned in this verse which is worthy of our
attention. Paul mentions all the saints but “chiefly they that are of Caesar’s
household”. This refers not to the actual family of the Roman emperor, but to
the familia Caesaris, the household establishment of the emperor, located
in the magnificent palaces and their adjacent offices on the Palatine Hill,
overlooking the city. In this complex there would have been hundreds of slaves
and freedmen administering the personal and state property of the emperor, who
would have been Nero at the time of the writing of Philippians. It appears that
among these people there had been several who had heard and believed the
preaching of the gospel. It is possible that since it was appeal to Caesar (Acts
25: 11) that had brought him to Rome, Paul had been obliged to deal with many of
these freedmen when he arrived in the imperial city. It is clear that he had
used this opportunity to preach the gospel to these men, and had converted
several.
It is instructive to see how Paul made
use of these opportunities to preach the gospel to people in the very heart of
the Roman Empire. He was in the midst of a situation which we all would find to
be extremely traumatic. He had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel, and had
been taken in chains on a Roman ship from Caesarea to Rome, enduring shipwreck
on the way, and now he had to await the pleasure of the emperor in the city
himself, while having to hire his own house for two years while waiting (Acts
28: 30-31). It would certainly be very easy to become extremely self-absorbed
and self pitying in such a circumstance. We might, faced with such difficulties,
decide that we would cease preaching the gospel, saying that we would begin
preaching it again when the time was more appropriate, or when we had the chance
to do so. Paul, however, never made any such excuses. Instead, even though his
movements were limited, he still took the opportunity to preach the Word to all
that came to him (Acts 28: 31). It is clear that he also took the opportunity to
preach to the members of Caesar’s household also.
In this closing lesson it is
appropriate to reflect upon the greetings that Paul sent to his brethren in
Christ. We can think of the love, friendship and fellowship that existed between
these brethren, and the way in which they shared their goals and prayers, even
though they may not have seen one another for many years. As we all go our
separate ways, we can reflect on the fact that we too share those goals and
prayers, even though we are separated by nearly two thousand years from the
writing of this letter. The fellowship and friendship which we see shown in the
greetings and blessings of Philippians remind us that we too as brethren in
Christ should share that friendship and fellowship today, and we should carry it
with us as we go our ways to our home congregations. Those who are in Christ,
who are in His church, share the same joyous and beautiful fellowship that has
existed for two thousand years, and will continue to exist until the end of
time.