SUMMARY
Paul explains why he is sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi.
ANALYSIS
The Philippians thought the ministry of the gospel should be carried out by one who is strong and healthy, and so they sent Epaphroditus to minister to Paul in his time of imprisonment. When word came back to Philippi that Epaphroditus had become seriously ill, the people were naturally distressed, as was Epaphroditus upon hearing their response. Therefore, Paul writes: “For he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. He was indeed so ill that he nearly died” (2:26-27). Later in this passage Paul uses words to describe Epaphroditus’s ministry as “he came close to death” (2:30), words in Greek that are grammatically identical to the words that describe the extent to which Christ was “obedient to the point of death” (2:8). God is present in Christ’s vulnerable ministry of self-giving: “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name” (2:9). God is likewise present in Epaphroditus’s suffering: “But God had mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More on him” (2:27).
The connection between Christ’s ministry, as expressed in the Christ hymn (2:6-11), and the ministry of the Philippians through Epaphroditus (2:25-30) is a theological gem and a significant teaching of this letter. At the point of the loss of human strength and power in our lives, exemplified in the cross of Christ, God’s dynamic presence enlivens and encourages us. Earlier in the letter Paul expresses this truth in light of his own life of imprisonment: “speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (1:20-21).
