Read with Me
2 Timothy 4:19-22 (HCSB)
Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Listen with Me
In these closing words, the last words we have from Paul’s own pen, we see that even though he was more isolated than usual, he still had contacts and connections that were important to him. Many of these names are unfamiliar to readers today, and they were even unfamiliar to many in the church at the time. But they were well-known to Timothy, being his long-time partners in the work of the kingdom.
Priscilla and Aquila had partnered with Paul for many years and had partnered with Timothy in establishing the Church in Ephesus between Paul’s second and third journey. They were currently in Ephesus where Timothy was working, and so Paul sends his final greetings to them and to the whole household of Onesiphorus, who had also partnered with Paul in Ephesus (2 Timothy 1:16-18).
Erastus had been sent to Macedonia with Timothy in advance of Paul’s journey to collect the gifts from the Macedonian churches for the poor Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 19:22). He was now in Corinth, thankfully out of the reach of Nero’s murderous persecution.
Trophimus the Ephesian had been one of Paul’s traveling companions on his way back to Jerusalem with the gifts from Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 20:4), and because Paul had been seen with him in the city, some assumed that he had brought him into the temple as well (Acts 21:29), sparking the riot that resulted in Paul’s 4-year-long imprisonment. But now Trophimus was sick in Miletus, south of Ephesus.
Paul’s request for Timothy to come before winter set in, bringing his warm cloak (2 Timothy 4:13) was very practical. There was no heat in the Roman dungeons, and Paul knew that the cold could be paralyzing during the winter months.
Finally, Paul conveys greetings from two of the brothers and one sister known to Timothy, as well as a group greeting from “all the brothers”. To these greetings, Paul appends his own prayer for God’s presence and grace to be powerfully present with Timothy.
Pray with Me
Father, even at the end, Paul is mostly focused on others, those who have partnered with him in the work of the kingdom, many of them for many years. He has some practical requests needed to fill some current needs, but those come across as incidental, not as his primary focus in writing this letter. It’s interesting to me that, as strong as Paul was, he was not independent or a loner. He enjoyed the company of others, and missed their presence when he was alone. And he deeply cared about those who partnered with him in ministry. Lord, help me to never take my partnerships with others for granted, but to always value them highly, as Paul did. Amen.