In typical Pauline fashion, Paul finishes his letter to Timothy with some personal greetings. He lists a few more names, and gives one final appeal for Timothy to come to Rome quickly, which we will look at next week.
You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 4:19-20:
Paul’s letters almost always contain a closing section full of personal greetings. Some are quite short, such as this one. Others are longer, like the list found in Romans 16. But Paul usually does his best to greet and encourage those who are serving in churches where he directs a letter. This second letter to Timothy is no different.
Priscilla and Aquila
Paul first mentions two old friends. He asks Timothy to give a special greeting to his coworkers Priscilla and Aquila. It is interesting to note that these two are somewhere near where Timothy is, perhaps Ephesus. Paul first met these two as tent-makers in Corinth after they had been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:1-3). From there, they travel with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-26), where the church meets in their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). But when Paul writes Romans, they are in Rome, serving another church in their own home (Romans 16:3-4).
What brought them back to Ephesus is unknown. Perhaps it was for similar reasons to the first time they left Rome. Or, since prominent Jewish businessmen traveled a lot in the ancient world, this may have led to several locations. We simply do not know, and can only speculate. Whatever the case, they started or served churches wherever they went, spreading the gospel across the world.
We know that Aquila is a Jew from Pontus, but Priscilla’s origin is unknown. It is interesting that of the six times this couple is mentioned in Scripture, four of them place her name first, before her husband’s. This is quite uncommon in New Testament times. Some assume that this indicates that she was of noble birth; others believe that she may have simply been the dominant personality of the two.
Paul apparently knows them well and loves them deeply. He requests that Timothy pass on his greetings to them.
The House hold Of Onesiphorus
Onesiphorus has already made an appearance in Paul’s letter to Timothy (1:16-18). Since his household is named, but not him, he may have recently passed away. If so, Paul’s greeting to his family holds a note of comfort in their time of grief.
Erastus
In verse 10, Paul stated that some of his usual companions were not with him. Here he lists another coworker who is not by his side. Erastus is mentioned in Acts 19:22 as one of Timothy’s companions on a mission to Macedonia. There is another Erastus mentioned as being the treasurer of Corinth, in Romans 16:23, but whether this is the same individual is unclear. The name is a fairly common one. If it is the same man, then this explains why he remained in Corinth. It is his home, and he held a job there. If this is not the same man, then he may have been working to build the church there.
Trophimus
Trophimus is first mentioned in Acts 20:4. He is one of the individuals who helped bring an offering to Jerusalem. The mistaken assumption that Paul had brought him into the temple led to his arrest there. The assumption in this passage is that Trophimus has been traveling with Paul, visiting the churches between Paul’s two Roman imprisonments. However, he became sick, and had to be left in Miletus, despite having a doctor traveling with them (Luke). Miletus is a seaport about 30 miles from Ephesus. Perhaps Paul’s hope was that Timothy’s church could do something to assist him in regaining his health.
Since these coworkers are no longer with Paul, his request for Timothy to join him seems more urgent. He will make one final plea that Timothy hurry in the next verse, hoping to see him soon. Paul seems to know that his time on earth is nearing the end, and he wants to spend time with his son in the faith, and encourage those who will continue on, serving the church and spreading the message of the gospel.
His remarks carry an almost prayerful tone as you read them, encouraging Timothy to remember his colleagues and coworkers in the work that they are doing. We should do the same.
Question: Do you regularly remember in prayer those who are serving to spread the gospel to the world, such as ministers and missionaries, and other coworkers for the gospel? You can leave a comment by clicking here.