Epaphroditus, Who Nearly Died

A man lies on a thin mattress, burning with fever, far from home. Beside him sits a prisoner in chains, praying for him. And back home, a whole church has heard the news, and they are worried sick.

Paul is under guard, waiting to find out whether he will be set free or put to death. Most scholars think he is in Rome. Hundreds of miles away, in the city of Philippi, is a church he loves dearly. It was the first church he planted in Europe. The believers there wanted to help him. So they collected a gift, probably money for food and care, because prisoners in those days often depended on friends to keep them fed. Then they chose one of their own to carry it. His name was Epaphroditus. He would walk and sail the long road to Paul, and stay to look after him.

Epaphroditus made the journey. He found Paul, handed over the gift, and stayed on to serve him. Paul calls him three things: my brother, my fellow worker, and my fellow soldier. And to the Philippians, Paul says, he is your messenger, the one you sent to care for my needs. That is a lot of trust to put in one man. He was carrying his church's love in his hands.

Then something went badly wrong. Epaphroditus fell ill. Not a little ill. Paul says plainly that he was sick, near unto death. We are not told what the illness was. Perhaps the hard travelling wore him down. Paul only says that he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to give Paul the help the church could not give in person. Word travelled back to Philippi that their messenger was sick. And here is the touching part. Epaphroditus, lying weak and ill, was not mainly worried about himself. He was distressed because his friends at home had heard he was ill, and he knew they would be worrying about him.

But God had mercy on him. He got better. And Paul adds, so warmly, that God had mercy not only on him, but on me too, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Paul was already in chains. Losing his friend would have broken his heart. Now Paul makes a decision. He will send Epaphroditus home, and carry this very letter with him. Paul says, I am eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious. Then he gives the church instructions. Welcome him in the Lord with all joy. Honour people like him. He has not failed you. He nearly gave his life serving. Paul says the same of young Timothy, whom he hopes to send soon: he genuinely cares about you, and does not look only to his own interests. These two men are what Paul has just been describing, people who look not only to their own things, but also to the things of others.

Why would a church send money to a prisoner? In the Roman world, prisons did not reliably feed or clothe the people held in them. Prisoners often relied on family and friends to bring food and supplies. That is why Paul could thank the Philippians for a gift that truly met his needs. And Philippi itself was no ordinary town. The book of Acts calls it a Roman colony, a little piece of Rome planted in northern Greece, on the great road called the Via Egnatia.

Epaphroditus, the messenger who nearly died. You'll find his story in Philippians chapter two, verses nineteen to thirty. He went a long way, at real cost, to care for a friend in need. So here is a question to carry with you. Who needs you to look after their interests this week, not only your own?