What are we to make of Romans 16 and all these greetings? Surprisingly, there is a lot of wonderful spiritual truth tucked away here. We will be introduced to a whole bunch of heaven’s unsung heroes. And they are not much different from you or me!
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Greetings To Some Unsung Heroes
Romans 16:1-16
We come this morning to the final chapter of the book of Romans. This book has become like a very good old friend to me, and I hope to you as well. It is with some sadness that I come to its closing chapter.
Many people would quickly dismiss this chapter because they see nothing of much importance in it. After all, it is just a chapter where Paul greets a whole bunch of people that we know nothing about. How important could that possibly be? Hold on there… I think if we slow down and turn over that rock we will see that there is a lot of life in this chapter.
What I’m going to do this morning is make some general observations from the first sixteen verses of this final chapter, and then take a close look at some individuals named in this chapter in order to see the lessons the Holy Spirit has tucked away here.
1. General Observations
A. Paul’s heart of love for other believers.
How did Paul know all of these individuals? Remember, that he had never visited the church in Rome. Paul did not plant this church. In the first 16 verses of this chapter, Paul mentions 27 individuals by name! Paul knew some of these people because he had met them in other cities, and then they had moved to Rome. We know that is true of Priscilla and Aquila. And remember, that Rome was the center of the world and there was a constant flux of people going or coming from Rome. If someone visited dozens of cities over a twenty year period of time, it would not be difficult to know 25-30 people in Rome. I think we make a mistake when we think of Paul only as a great theologian tucked away in some ivory tower. No, Paul was a people person. He loved people. We know that because he always seems to be surrounded by them. We know that Paul worked closely with Barnabus, John Mark, Silas, Aristarchus, Epaphras, Gaius, Jason, Luke, Onesimus, Sosthenes, Trophimus, Tychicus, Demas, and Archippus among others. Paul always worked as part of a team, not as a solo evangelist. He was constantly discipling others. His life was filled with people. Friends, we too should invest our lives in people.
What else does this teach us? I think it teaches us that you shouldn’t try to live the Christian life by yourself. Following Christ includes community. A follower of Christ must be in fellowship with other followers of Christ. He should have relationships with other believers. He should know their names, their character, their example, and learn from them. There should be no Lone Ranger Christians. Commitment to a local church is vital and essential in living out the Christian life.
What is meant by “greet”? The word that keeps occurring over and over in these verses is the word “greet.” When Paul says “greet so and so”, there are three people or groups involved. There is Paul, there is the person that Paul is asking to be the carrier of the greeting, and there is the person greeted. Well, who is Paul asking to carry his greetings? I believe it must be the whole church in Rome, because he writes this letter to “all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints” (1:7). So then, Paul is asking the whole church to carry His greeting to particular members of that church. The word “greet” means to “welcome” or “pay my respects to.”
But exactly what is conveyed by a greeting? To greet someone is to just say a few words to someone. But what do those words convey? My conviction is that the words of greeting convey the love Paul had for these saints. He loved them enough to ask the whole church to send his respects to certain individuals among them.
Notice how Paul describes some of the people here in Romans 16:
16:5 “Greet Epaenetus, my beloved”
16:8 “Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord”
16:9 “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved”
16:12 “Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord”
It is very evident that Paul truly loved these people, and that’s why he is asking that they are greeted in his behalf. Paul writes the same way in Philippians 1:7-8, “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
Not only that, but Paul even commands that they greet one another with a holy kiss in verse 16. This particular command is repeated 4 times in the New Testament. Although this “kiss” was probably culturally conditioned, I think there is an important truth here. Believers should have a true and deep affection for one another that will manifest itself in the common cultural expressions of the day. We should not be cold and distant from one another. If we truly love one another we will show it, with a handshake, a bear hug, or a kiss. When I think of each member of The Bridge, I feel a profound sense of gratitude to God and affection. I’m thankful for how each of you enrich my spiritual life, and how you have labored in the Lord together to glorify God and extend His kingdom.
Brothers and sisters, can you relate to Paul’s heart here? Do you have a genuine sense of love and affection for other Christians that you know? Or, can you just take them or leave them? When you think about them does your heart smile? Do you feel a sense of joy? I pray you do!
B. The Presence of Many House Churches in Rome
We find something very interesting in this chapter. Paul frequently mentions clusters of believers that seem to be meeting together. He even tells them to greet the church that meets in Priscilla and Aquila’s house in verse 5. In verse 14 he writes, “Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them.” In verse 15 he writes, “Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.”
The most natural understanding of this is that the church in Rome, was really made up of many smaller churches – in fact so small that these churches could meet in someone’s home. The current practice of Christians meeting in a large special building was unknown for the first several hundred years of the church’s existence. They did very well without ever constructing a large meeting chapel or tabernacle. It didn’t seem to hurt the effectiveness of the church in the least.
What a beautiful thing! The church in Rome was really a network or family of smaller house churches. You know folks, that is what I have longed would take place here in Sacramento. We are a single house church. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we grew to the point where we needed to multiply into another location, and then another, because the gospel was being proclaimed and sinners were being brought to the feet of Jesus, and the Lord was raising up men who would lead these new churches? Let’s pray to that end.
C. The Description of Christians as “Workers”
16:3, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus”
16:6, “Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you”
16:9, “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ”
16:12, “Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.”
Isn’t it fascinating that there is such an emphasis in this chapter on being a worker and working hard in the Lord? Elsewhere Epaphroditus and Timothy are called workers. What a great way for someone to describe you! All of these people mentioned were energetically working for the cause of Christ. It might have been in serving the poor, or the sick, or the saints. Or it might have been in witnessing and preaching and teaching the gospel. But they were all laboring hard for the kingdom. Paul saw the church as like a beehive or an ant colony in which every bee or ant went out every day and worked. All had a function to perform. Now, let me ask you, does the term “worker” describe you? Are you working hard in the Lord? All of us should be working to extend Christ’s kingdom and do His will while we are on this earth.
D. The Christ-Saturated Language of the Apostle Paul
16:2 “receive her in the Lord”
16:3 “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus”
16:7 “who also were in Christ before me.”
16:8 “Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.”
16:9 “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ”
16:11 “Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord”
16:12 “workers in the Lord… Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.”
I think that is enough to give you the flavor of Paul’s writings. Notice that Paul is not teaching doctrine here or getting into theology. He’s just writing greetings at the end of his letter. But it is laced, saturated with references to Christ and our union to Him. This tells me a lot about Paul. It tells me that Christ was the Center, the Sum, the Substance of his life. Everything revolved around Jesus. Union to Christ was everything. And if anyone was not united to Christ, he had nothing. The more spiritually mature we become, the more Christ will fill our hearts and spill out of our mouths, and the more He will become central in what we write and what we say. Let’s be less focused and centered on the things of the world and more focused and centered on Jesus Christ.
So, having made some general observations and drawn out some lessons from them, let’s take a closer look at some of the people Paul writes about.
2. Some Unsung Heroes
Phoebe.
It was common in the first century to give a letter of commendation to someone who was leaving one city and traveling to another. This would ensure a friendly reception for the traveler. Paul basically does that here by saying, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea.” Phoebe is the one person in verses 1-16, who is not already living in Rome. She is coming to Rome, and Paul is asking the church there to receive her, and help her in whatever ways she may need (such as food and lodging). Phoebe is the only one commended in this chapter. Why did Paul commend her like this? I believe it is because Phoebe is bringing this letter, the epistle to the Romans. Why do I think that?
- There is no indication Phoebe is coming after the letter arrives, but rather when the letter arrives. Thus, she is probably the one bringing this letter.
- She is from Cenchrea, which is very close to Corinth. Most scholars believe Paul wrote the book of Romans from Corinth. Thus, Paul would have made Phoebe’s acquaintance and could have easily asked her to deliver this letter for him.
- Phoebe appears to be a woman of means. 16:2 “for she herself has also been a helper of many…” Perhaps she was a wealthy business woman, like Lydia who traveled often for work.
She is referred to as a “servant of the church which is at Cenchrea.” The word for “servant” is the word that we translate as “deacon.” Therefore, Paul may have been saying that she was a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea. I see no difficulty with a woman being identified as a deaconess. Women were not permitted to hold the office of Elder and teach and exercise authority over men. But a woman could certainly serve the church, the poor, the sick, and other women in an official capacity. We don’t know whether Phoebe was a deaconess, or just a behind the scenes servant in the church, and I guess it doesn’t really matter. The important thing was that she had a servant’s heart. How did she serve others? Verse 2 tells us it was by helping many, including Paul himself.
Paul exhorts the church to receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and help her in whatever matter she may have need of. Phoebe was an unsung hero. If it was not for this verse, we would never have even known her name. However, you can be sure she was well known in the church in Cenchrea where she served so faithfully. What I find so intriguing is that Paul entrusted his precious epistle to the Romans to Phoebe, and knew she would faithfully deliver it to the church there. There is much we can learn from our sister Phoebe.
Prisca and Aquila.
We know more about this couple than any of the others mentioned here. When Paul came to Corinth, he met Aquila, a Jew and a tentmaker. Priscilla and Aquila had moved from Rome because of an edict of the Emperor Claudius in A.D. 52 in which he commanded all Jews to leave Rome. Priscilla and Aquila invited Paul to stay with them, and it was probably during this time that Paul led them to Christ. Later, Paul left Corinth and traveled to Ephesus, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. Later, Priscilla and Aquila moved back to Rome, and so Paul sends his greetings to them here.
One of the wonderful traits of this couple was their hospitality. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus. In 1 Cor. 16:19 he wrote, “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” Aquila and Prisca had opened up their home to Paul when they lived in Corinth. Then when they moved to Ephesus, they opened up their home for the whole church to meet. Later, when they moved to Rome, they opened up their home again to the church. Notice Romans 16:5 “also greet the church that is in their house.”
Another wonderful thing about this couple is found in Romans 16:4 “who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles…” We don’t know what happened, but evidently they risked their lives to save Paul’s life. That must be why all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks. They needed Paul’s ministry. Isn’t it interesting that Paul doesn’t say that Aquila risked his life for Paul. We would expect the man to do something courageous and heroic like that, but not a woman. However, both of them risked their lives for Paul’s sake. They were in this together. They did it as a married couple.
Phoebe, evidently, served the church as a single woman. Priscilla served Christ and Paul as a married woman. Not only were Priscilla and Aquila wonderful hosts, but they were risk takers for the sake of the gospel.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, take a look at these 27 names. Only Prisca and Aquila are mentioned in other places in Scripture. For the most part, these are common, ordinary Christians living in Paul’s day. We know next to nothing about them. For most of them, all we know is the precious little that Paul wrote here. Yet they were workers, servants, helpers. They were a lot like us. Folks, none of our names are going to go down in the history books. None of us will ever achieve fame like Billy Graham, John Piper, or John MacArthur. We are just ordinary servants of Christ. But, in every age, it has been the ordinary servants of Christ who have done the work, served, and helped in order to extend the kingdom of Christ. Just as these folks in Romans 16 were unsung heroes, so too, you and I can be unsung heroes. Only when this age has come to a close, and we enter into Christ’s eternal kingdom to be judged, will we see who the unsung heroes of the faith were. Though we may be unknown on earth, we are well known in heaven.
Here are some exhortations which flow from this chapter.
- Commit to a local church. Just as we see believers in Romans 16 who were working and serving in a local church, so ought we do the same today.
- Demonstrate love and affection for other believers. Let a holy affection rise within your heart for your family in Christ. Ask the Lord to increase your love for one another.
- Pray that the Lord might give us favor to plant other churches into a network of churches.
- Let your life revolve around Jesus Christ. Find your joy in your union to Him, and speak of it often.
- Be content in serving the Lord with all your heart without any fanfare. Heaven and eternity will declare God’s unsung heroes on Judgment Day.
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