Colossians 4:7-18: Friendships

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Introduction
The concluding section of the book of Colossians consists of greetings sent by Paul and his co-workers to those in the church. This was a common part of Paul’s letters, and it is easy to miss their importance, since it seems to consist of a list of names with a few generic and sometimes cryptic remarks.

But really it gives us a fascinating look into the ministry of Paul, how it was structured and how his relationships with other people were both the joy and the pain in his ministry.

Anyone who has been involved in church for a long time knows what a quirky bunch of people we are. Each person sitting next to us on Sunday morning has a story all their own. Each person is at a different place in their spiritual journey. Each has a different personality and set of circumstances. And it is exactly that mixture that makes church incredibly rewarding and, at times, incredibly frustrating.

The people mentioned here at the end of chapter 4 are are a cross-section of what it is like to work in the church over a long period of time. There are some people who look up to you. There are some people who are always there. There are some people you can depend on. There are some people who will disappoint you. There are others who will reconcile with you over time.

Tychicus - Ambassador

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus… - Colossians 4:7-9a

Tychicus was close enough to Paul that Paul could trust him to act as his ambassador, so to speak. Paul sent him both to Colossae and to Ephesus, probably on the same trip, carrying the letters to those cities. Later, he may have gone to Crete to give Titus a break.

Tychicus is the person you send to a meeting in your place; the person who, when you know they are going to the meeting, you know you don’t need to go yourself. He was also known by three key attributes: faithful (he stick with Paul), humble (he did whatever it took) and encouraging (he spoke positively). You don’t worry about what they say when you aren’t in the room; you know they can handle sensitive issues with tact.

Acts 20, Ephesians 6:21, 2 Timothy 4:12, Titus 3:12

Onesimus – Changed Man

He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. – Colossians 4:9

We have already talked previously about Onesimus, the runaway slave who came to Christ after coming into contact with Paul in Rome. Here is the electric charge of ministry, watching God change someone who was “faithless” before into someone who is “faithful”, someone who was “useless” who has become useful; someone who was a slave who has become a brother.

Onesimus is the person who finally gets their act together; who seemed to fail again and again, but your patience was one of the avenues that God used to keep them same. Sara Groves, in her song, “When It was Over” talks about a situation like this:

When it was over and they could talk about it
They were sitting on the couch
She said what on earth made you stay here
When you finally figured out what I was all about
He said I always knew you'd do the right thing
Even though it might take some time
She said, Yeah, I felt that and that's probably what saved my life. [1]

This is what ministry is about, but it is so difficult because the outcome is so uncertain and it is so demanding.

Colossians 4:9, Philemon 1:8, 10;

Aristarchus – Sticks With You.

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings… - Colossians 4:10

Aristarchus met Paul in Greece and was travelling with him up through his home country of Macedonia. In Ephesus, where the people were whipped into a patriotic fervor over Paul’s preaching and the ministry there, they dragged Paul and Aristarchus into the theater in a near riot. Aristarchus went to jail with Paul, went to Jerusalem with Paul and eventually ended up in jail in Rome with him.

This is the friend who sticks with you even when other people turn against you. This is the one who takes the punches with you.

Acts 19:29, Acts 20, Acts 27:2, Philemon 1:24

Mark - Reconciliation

…as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) - Colossians 4:10b, 11

Mark’s mother, Mary was a member of the church in Jerusalem. The church met to pray at her house at least once in the New Testament (Acts 12:12) and early on in Paul’s ministry, when Barnabas was encouraging him in his young faith, they took Mark with them. It was during this trip that something happened that caused them not only to split up.

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, -- Acts 15:39

And when they had split up, Paul apparently spread the word to other churches about him, because he had to later tell the churches to receive him. We don’t know what it was, but it was serious. Yet we see that later, Paul and Mark have come back together and are together in Rome. It may have been that Mark was already there with Peter (see 1 Peter 5:13). Not only are they together, but Paul recommends him to the Colossians. And later in his life, as Paul sees the end of his life approaching, he writes to Timothy in loneliness and says:

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. – 2 Timothy 4:11

People in church can hurt us. People can disappoint us. But leaving the door open for forgiveness, taking the opportunity to restore can lead not just to civil politeness, but even strengthened affection.

Justus – Culture Comfort

Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. – Colossians 4:11

We don’t know about more about Justus. There are a couple of other Justus’ mentioned in the New Testament and a couple of other Jesus’, but none are likely candidates. We do know that he was a Jew, a Christian worker and a comfort to Paul.

When we have visited with missionaries and workers in other countries, the work is tough and the mental strain is even tougher. Families take a terrible hit. Ever action of yours is scrutinized and every choice you make second-guessed because it is all an act of incarnational translation. Sometimes having someone who you can talk to who just “gets” you is a great comfort.

This is the church, as well. When you struggle so long in the world and it is taking its toll, there is a great comfort in finding other brothers and sisters who “get” you, who understand the struggle, who refresh and comfort. Have you ever taken advantage of that? Are you a comfort or a thorn?

Epaphras – Local Boy Done Good

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. – Colossians 4:12-13.

Epaphras was the local boy who pioneered the faith in Colossae, and maybe even in the neighboring cities of Laodicaea and Hierapolis. Now those churches were sending him out again, to work with Paul. They knew his character. They knew the power of God that had flowed through this mighty man of prayer. Now they launch them out again with full confidence.

In this age of headhunters and professional services, we can “hunt” for new staff. But sometimes the best person for the job is the one you’ve known all along.
Colossians 1:7, Philemon 1:23

Luke – Minister of Presence

Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. – Colossians 4:14

We actually don’t know a lot about Luke. He is mentioned only three times in the New Testament, although church tradition assigns to him the authorship of The Gospel of Luke and Acts. But one thing we do know: he was close to Paul (called ‘dear’), was a doctor and felt close enough to Paul that those sections of Acts where Luke is present, he writes “we”. In the most difficult circumstances of Paul’s life, in prison, at the end of his life, Paul has Luke. Luke may have even been the actual hand that wrote down the words of Paul.
There are the people in church who are always there, not for the church events, but for the people of the church. They are not the errand runners; they are the people builders. They are the ones who keep you going in the toughest days and the ones that make you look good.

Demas – Disappointment

Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. – Colossians 4:14

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. – 2 Timothy 4:9-10a

Paul depended on Demas, and Demas left him behind. Paul is forced to recall Timothy earlier than planned. We know people like that. Promising followers of Jesus who turn off the way at some point, throw in the towel, growing perhaps cynical or disillusioned or simply tempted by an easier life.
Philemon 1:24

Archippus – Commissioned By God

Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." – Colossians 4:17

Archippus not only heard the word of God from Epaphras and responded, he also opened up his home as a church. It is not clear whether he was (or had been) a soldier, or whether Paul simply referred to him as a fellow “commissioned officer” in God’s service, but it was clear that Paul knew of his story and how God had given him a special charge.

Here Paul is acting as the encourager, the reminder of God’s work in the past. In the same way he did with Timothy, reminding him of God’s gifting (1 Timothy 1), he tells Archippus: Do what you were made to do.
Sometimes people doubt whether they have heard God correctly. Time acts as a warp field that twists our memory and circumstances erode our certainty as to God’s calling and action in our life. We need people who know the whole story. Jason Danberg needs people who know the story; John Hossack needs people who know his story; Tim Lewis needs people who know the story; because when I become confused I want; I need; someone to remind me of what I have shared together.

Conclusion

After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea

[1] Sara Groves, “When It Was Over” on Add To The Beauty, 10/04/2005
Ministry is not ministry unless it involves other people. Those people are both the blessing and bane sometimes. But it is in this very arena that God has called us to show himself to the world and it is in this arena that we can experiment with the grace given us, knowing that there are Paul's in every church to encourage, guide and even rebuke us.Demas is a quick sketch in Paul’s disappointment. He ministered with Paul in Rome and possibly through one of the later missionary journeys. Paul puts him in the same sentence as “dear” doctor Luke. But as Paul’s life was coming to a close, Demas apparently throws in the towel and abandons the call of God: