In the previous verses, Paul introduced three names, two that had deserted him, and one that was very loyal. That one was Onesiphorus. In today’s passage, Paul elaborates on this one man’s faithfulness.

You can see the verses for yourself in 2 Timothy 1:17-18:

Once again, this seems to be a bit of trivial information for Paul to bring up, but there is much we can glean from these few verses inserted at the end of the first chapter.

As Paul was writing to Timothy, he was in Rome, and in prison. Visiting a Roman prisoner wasn’t an easy thing to do. And Paul gives credit to Onesiphorus for searching high and low until he found Paul. This conveys the idea that Paul might not have been in a public prison, and finding him wasn’t a simple matter. However, his value to Paul didn’t stem from just this. The last phrase of our passage for this week reminds Timothy of just how helpful Onesiphorus was in Ephesus as well.

Upon closer examination of these verses, paired with last week’s passage, we can see a few things that shed light upon this man. One such item is that Onesiphorus may well have been dead when Paul wrote this letter. This is indicated by Paul’s phrase “show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus” in verse 16, rather than “show mercy to Onesiphorus and his household,” as it should have been phrased. Paul began by asking the Lord for present mercy on the household (verse 16), and future mercy for Onesiphorus himself, “on that day.” This suggests that Onesiphorus had passed away.

The phrase “that day” can only refer to the second coming, and seems to cement the conclusion that Onesiphorus was dead. There is no other reason for Paul to request that Onesiphorus find mercy at the end.

The question this raises, then, is this. Does this passage sanction prayers for those who have already passed away? Many think so, especially from those traditions that practice such prayer.

However, a caution is in order. This is an example of how we can read to much into the text, and see things that may not be there. First of all, there are no other passages that support this idea, so building our doctrine upon one single text is shaky. Second, Paul is merely expressing his sentiment for Onesiphorus. This is not an intercessory prayer. Instead, Paul is simply stating that, even for one as spiritually active as Onesiphorus, God’s mercy is our only hope. This leads me to conclude here that Paul is not, in fact, condoning prayers for the dead.

What he is doing, however, is stating concisely the legacy that Onesiphorus leaves behind. His actions and efforts to help Paul, and his ministerial work in Ephesus, are well known. And Paul uses it to remind Timothy to be as faithful as Onesiphorus.

We could use the reminder as well. It’s too easy to get caught up in the everyday details of life and shift our focus onto ourselves. Rather, like Onesiphorus, we need to continually put the needs of others ahead of our own, even though it may prove difficult.

Taking Onesiphorus as an example, how can you apply the description of this man found in these few verses to your own life? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.