Along with Timothy, Paul decides to send Epaphroditus back to the church in Philippi. He is the messenger that they sent, and Paul desires to send him home to continue the work there.

You can see his thoughts on this in Philippians 2:25-26:

Epaphroditus is from Philippi. And the church there sent him to Paul, to care for his needs, and to probably bring along the financial gift that they had gathered for him. This is all that we know of Epaphroditus. Along with 4:18, this is the only mention of his name, and we are left to guess just how helpful he was to Paul.

Apparently, Paul thinks highly of this man. He pays Epaphroditus a series of five compliments in this one verse alone, so his value to Paul was great. It may have been his intent to become Paul’s permanent helper, but his sickness prohibited it. That has been conjectured by many theologians, but there is simply no way of knowing for certain.

However, if that is the case, Paul’s glowing commendation of him would go a long way to eliminating any criticism of his return home instead of staying with Paul in Rome.

Paul gives five positive comments about Epaphroditus. Three of these give insight to his relationship to Paul, and the other two show his connection to the church.

My Brother

Epaphroditus is a believer, and one that Paul loves dearly.

Fellow Worker

Epaphroditus was a co-laborer for Christ, both in Philippi and in Rome, assisting Paul while he was imprisoned.

Fellow Soldier

Epaphroditus may have faced conflict and possible even suffering as a result of his faith and his connection with Paul.

Messenger

This is the same root word as that of “apostle,” which is typically reserved for the Twelve alone. Here, it is probably more along the lines of the traditional meaning of the word, simply “one who bears a message.”

Minister

This term does not appear in the English, but as one sent to “take care of” Paul’s needs, Epaphroditus certainly falls into this category. And with the gift he bears from Philippi, which Paul refers to as a sacrifice, Epaphroditus serves as a minister well.

Just why Paul sends Epaphroditus home is not clear. His illness is the subject of the next few verses, but here, it almost seems as if it could be homesickness. This may be in addition to a real, physical illness as well. When word of this reached the church in Philippi, they were naturally concerned for their brother, and Epaphroditus was distressed because they were worrying.

Even though there is no way of knowing just what his illness was, it was serious enough to bring Epaphroditus to the point of death. Perhaps he contracted something on his journey to Paul, and pressed on anyway, causing it to be worse than it otherwise would have been. We may never know.

What we do know is that Paul is sending him home to continue the work of the gospel in his home town. Though he may have intended to stay in Rome with Paul, that is not to be. But I know that Paul instructed Epaphroditus to serve the cause of Christ and the gospel no matter where he was, and to stand strong.

That is our call as well.

Question: Epaphroditus held a great love for his home church. How well do you love your church? You can leave a comment by clicking here.