UNSUNG HERO

PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30 | I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹ So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, ³⁰ for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Have you ever heard a sermon on Epaphroditus? Probably not. He is an unsung hero. He hails from Philippi. Paul calls him his brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier. He sets him alongside Timothy as a role model of self-denial and sacrificial service.

Epaphroditus is a fighter. The church sent him to minister to Paul in prison. Somewhere along the way he fell critically ill. But he would not be deterred from his errand. Gift in hand, he perseveres to the brink of death. When the Philippians hear about this, he takes no pity on himself, but becomes distressed with longing for them. But still, he does not turn back or give up until Paul’s needs are fully supplied. Mission accomplished? Not yet.

Epaphroditus is the lifeline between Paul and the Philippian Church. On this visit, we assume, he informs Paul about the situation there. Not all is well with their souls. Relationships are strained. Leaders are quarrelling. Church unity is fractured. They urgently need Paul’s tender loving care and apostolic counsel.

He who said, be anxious for nothing is genuinely anxious for this church (:17). But this is a different kind of anxiety. One that is deeply rooted in Paul’s God-given responsibility for the wellbeing of all the churches under his care (2 COR 11:28). Paul rolls up his sleeves: I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus. In the Greek text, this carries a sense of urgency bordering on distress.

Despite his own need of Epaphroditus’ care, Paul sends him back with a cure for all that ails the church he loves—the letter that is before us. A labour of love that more than reciprocates the readers for their kindness to him. What if Epaphroditus had died on his errand? That would have been gain for him. But a grievous loss for Paul, the Philippians, and us. Thank God he lived. Others were not so fortunate.

In a remote part of the Egyptian desert, an old hermit fell ill. On hearing this, a Desert Father some 30 kilometres away sent the sick man a bunch of figs by the hands of two young disciples. They were boys in age but men in character. They got lost in a fog along the way. Days later they were found dead in a praying position with the figs untouched. For the sake of a brother in need, they chose to starve rather than abandon their sacred trust. Had they eaten the figs, they may have survived and found the sick brother. But they would have been empty-handed.

To live is Christ. To die is gain. The door to life opens behind us when we give ourselves to our duty, even if we die trying to fulfil it. Epaphroditus would agree. Do you?

In a remote part of the Egyptian desert, an old hermit fell ill. On hearing this, a Desert Father some 30 kilometres away sent the sick man a bunch of figs by the hands of two young disciples. They were boys in age but men in character. They got lost in a fog along the way. Days later they were found dead in a praying position with the figs untouched. For the sake of a brother in need, they chose to starve rather than abandon their sacred trust. Had they eaten the figs, they may have survived and found the sick brother. But they would have been empty-handed.

To live is Christ. To die is gain. The door to life opens behind us when we give ourselves to our duty, even if we die trying to fulfil it. Epaphroditus would agree. Do you?