Epaphroditus, Another Example of Self-Sacrifice (Phil. 2:25-30)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on September 3, 2023

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Chuck Swindoll shares:

The words of that old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” remind us that Jesus is not just our God, Savior, and King, but also our close, personal friend. He’s available to anyone at any time. He exemplifies selfless humility, sacrificial love, and patience toward people who could never repay His affection.

In the body of Christ we’ve also been given others who reflect in real, tangible ways the immeasurable friendship of Christ. For Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus were such friends who exhibited Christlike character. Let’s consider the two kinds of friendship encountered in Philippians.^[1]

Today, we look at Phil. 2:25-30.

My theme today is:

Epaphroditus, Another Example of Self-Sacrifice (Phil. 2:25-30)

1. First, let’s talk about the context.
   1. In Phil. 2:1-4, Paul wrote about unity and self-sacrificial behavior.
   2. In Phil. 2:5-11, Paul gave the example of Christ.
   3. In Phil. 2:12-18, Paul wrote about Christian behavior.
   4. In Phil. 2:19-24, Paul gave the example of Timothy.
   5. Now, Paul gives the example of Epaphroditus.
2. Epaphroditus, the soldier (Phil. 2:25).
   1. 2:25: 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…
   2. Paul says that he thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus. It is as if he is thinking out loud.
   3. He calls him a “brother” as well as a fellow worker.
   4. He also calls him a “fellow soldier.”
   5. He is not a literal “soldier” but a “soldier” in his work. He works for the faith like a “soldier.”
   6. He ministers to Paul’s need.
   7. These modifiers describe Epaphroditus: brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, messenger, and minister.
   8. One shares: Paul is playing chess, not checkers. With Chess, you must be a few moves ahead; with checkers, you just must be one move ahead. He thinks about sending Epaphroditus, but he knows how they will receive him (Phil 2:29).[2]
   9. It is possible, maybe probable, that Epaphroditus would be carrying the letter with him.
   10. Swindoll shares: Epaphroditus had been sent to Rome to minister to Paul, but shortly after arriving the man became terribly ill. Ultimately he recovered, but not before a long struggle where he lingered at death’s door. News of his illness might have traveled back to Philippi, and the man was concerned that his friends back home would be worried about him. Furthermore, when he returned earlier than expected, some might think he returned as a quitter, so Paul was careful to write strong words in his defense.[3]
   11. In Phil. 4:18 Paul references him again.
   12. Phil. 4:18: I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
   13. One source shares: The name Epaphroditus, meaning “charming” or “handsome,” was common in the Graeco-Roman world. Epaphroditus is mentioned twice in the New Testament—both times in the Letter to the Philippians (Phil 2:25; 4:18). Epaphroditus seems to have functioned as a leader in the church in Philippi. Paul calls him the church’s messenger (ἀπόστολος, apostolos, “one who is sent”), brother (i.e., he was a Christian), fellow worker, and fellow soldier (Phil 2:25).^[4]
   14. When Epaphroditus first arrived, he brought a gift of money from the Philippians. This tells us the people back home trusted him completely. When he gave the gift to Paul, he brought enormous encouragement to the apostle . . . but shortly thereafter, Epaphroditus fell ill. So the apostle writes with deep affection, referring to him as, “brother . . . fellow worker . . . fellow soldier . . . messenger . . . minister to my need.” I’d call those admirable qualities in a friend.[5]
   15. Bishop Lightfoot says that Epaphroditus was one in “common sympathy, common work, and common danger and toil and suffering”[6]
   16. It does seem that Epaphroditus is a good friend to the Apostle Paul.
   17. The great Roman statesman Cicero said, “He, indeed, who looks into the face of a friend beholds, as it were, a copy of himself.”^[7]
   18. Epaphroditus is a good friend.
   19. It was risky even to visit a prisoner. The visitor would be prejudged for visiting the prisoner.
   20. In the early church there were societies of men and women who called themselves the parabolani, that is, the riskers or gamblers. They ministered to the sick and imprisoned, and they saw to it that, if at all possible, martyrs and sometimes even enemies would receive an honorable burial. Thus in the city of Carthage during the great pestilence of A.D. 252 Cyprian, the bishop, showed remarkable courage. In self-sacrificing fidelity to his flock, and love even for his enemies, he took upon himself the care of the sick, and bade his congregation nurse them and bury the dead. What a contrast with the practice of the heathen who were throwing the corpses out of the plague-stricken city and were running away in terror![8]
   21. Are we self-sacrificing friends to others? Can we be counted on? Paul is in prison; it was risky to visit him, but still, Epaphroditus was willing. What are we willing to do and sacrifice for those in need? Can we sacrifice our status?
3. Epaphroditus’s sickness (Phil. 2:26-30):
   1. Philippians 2:26–30 (ESV) 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.
   2. About verse 28, one writes: But Paul’s anxiety reflected his love for them. As C.S. Lewis said, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken” (The Four Loves, 121).[9]
   3. In verse 26, we see that Paul continues to write about Epaphroditus.
   4. He has been longing for them.
   5. We learn that he is ill. We learn that he is distressed because he heard that they knew he was ill. They knew he was sick, and that caused him distress.
   6. Fee: How the Philippians had learned of Epaphroditus’s illness cannot now be known. It is usually assumed that he took ill in Rome and that a courier, going by way of Philippi, carried the news to them. But another scenario seems more promising. Given that Epaphroditus was probably carrying a considerable sum of money, it is altogether unlikely that he was traveling alone (cf. 2 Cor 11:9, where the same Philippian service to Paul is brought by “brothers,” plural). Very likely Epaphroditus took ill on the way to Rome, and one of his traveling companions returned to Philippi with that news (which is how Epaphroditus knew they knew) while another (or others) stayed with him as he continued on his way to Rome, even though doing so put his life at great risk (Phil 2:30). This view is favored in particular by the way Paul phrases verse 30: risking his life in order that he might fulfill his mission on behalf of Philippi.^[10]
   7. Maybe he was one who did not like to draw attention to himself. He wanted to serve them, not the other way around.
   8. Verse 27 gives more detail about his illness. His sickness was near death, but God spared him.
   9. Swindoll: This was the man who risked it all for the sake of his call to the service of Christ. Are you willing to join the ranks of Epaphroditus? Truth is, every time you minister to someone in need, you risk something. Every time. You risk being taken advantage of. You risk being misunderstood. You risk being ostracized. In fact, there is no ministry without some kind of risk, great or small. It seems to me that we’ve become a complacent people, seeking comfort and control over our lives rather than taking even minimal risks for the gospel. Are you willing to start risking for Christ? Have you felt the Spirit nudging you toward certain ministry decisions that might rock your world? Let me tell you, the risk is worth it.
   10. How do you respond to an Epaphroditus in your life? You hold that person in high regard. You don’t scold him. You don’t despise her. You don’t say, “Why are you wasting your time and risking everything for this? Think about your future!” Instead, you lend your prayers, your support, and your encouragement. Of course, when you do that, you step into the Order of Epaphroditus yourself, because inevitably somebody will say to you, “You’re a fool to waste your time on somebody as reckless as that!”^[11]
   11. Do we realize that when we are spared, we are spared because of God?
   12. Paul says that God spared him. Paul would have been sorrowful if God had called Epaphroditus home. This speaks to Paul’s love for his co-worker in ministry.
   13. Notice also that God did not heal Epaphroditus dramatically. It seems that this verse speaks to God giving the body the ability to gradually fight off the illness.
   14. Look at 2 Tim. 4:20: Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.
   15. Sometimes we act like everyone must be Divinely healed or their faith is weak. The Apostle Paul had healed the sick and raised the dead (Acts 14:8; 20:7-12), but sometimes people were not healed or not healed dramatically. In 2 Cor. 12, Paul was not healed.
   16. We must pray for God’s will and trust Him (James 4:15).
   17. In verse 28, Paul is “more eager” to send him. This is because they will rejoice at seeing him again.
   18. This is a great example of close companionship.
   19. Of course, this makes more sense if he was one of the leaders in their church.
   20. Do we rejoice to see each other?
   21. Paul says that he will be less anxious when they see him. This has caused some thinking and writing because in Phil. 4:6-7, we are exhorted NOT to be anxious. However, “anxious” can be translated as “concerned.” Paul is concerned for them. It is good to be concerned, but worry is unhealthy.
   22. Although Timothy’s departure for Philippi will await the resolution of Paul’s legal appeal, Paul is dispatching Epaphroditus immediately, probably bearing this epistle, to reassure the Philippians’ concerns over Epaphroditus’s health and Paul’s situation, to express thanks for the gift Epaphroditus had brought, and to address other pastoral concerns.^[12]
   23. In verse 29, they are exhorted to receive him, how? Receive him “in the Lord.” It is the Lord Who binds us together.
   24. They are to receive him with joy.
   25. They are to honor men like him. Why? It is because of his service for the gospel (1 Tim. 3:1; Hebrews 13:7, 17; James 3:1).
   26. In verse 30, Paul gives more reasons to honor him. This clues us into his sacrifice. He almost died for the gospel. He risked his life to complete what was was lacking in their service to him.
   27. Epaphroditus had faced this peril on behalf of the Philippians, who had desired to send gifts to support Paul but had not been able to do so (what was lacking in your service to me) until Epaphroditus made it possible (see 4:10, 18).^[13]

Sacrifice, Swindoll writes:

This reminds me of the six-year-old girl who became deathly ill with a dread disease. To survive, she needed a blood transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the same illness. The situation was complicated by her rare blood type. Her nine-year-old brother qualified as a donor, but everyone was hesitant to ask him since he was just a lad. Finally they agreed to have the doctor pose the question.

The attending physician tactfully asked the boy if he was willing to be brave and donate blood for his sister. Though he didn’t understand much about such things, the boy agreed without hesitation: “Sure, I’ll give my blood for my sister.”

He lay down beside his sister and smiled at her as they pricked his arm with the needle. Then he closed his eyes and lay silently on the bed as the pint of blood was taken.

Soon thereafter the physician came in to thank the little fellow. The boy, with quivering lips and tears running down his cheeks, asked, “Doctor, when do I die?” At that moment the doctor realized that the naive little boy thought that by giving his blood, he was giving up his life. Quickly he reassured the lad that he was not going to die, but amazed at his courage, the doctor asked, “Why were you willing to risk your life for her?”

“Because she is my sister . . . and I love her,” was the boy’s simple but significant reply. So it was between Epaphroditus and his brother in Rome . . .[14]

Prayer

^[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 9, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 59.

[2] Dr. White, Cedarville University Chapel, 01.25.2021

[3] Swindoll, Charles R.. Laugh Again (pp. 118-119). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

^[4] Jeffrey E. Miller, “Epaphroditus,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[5] Swindoll, Charles R.. Laugh Again (p. 119). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

[6] Ibid.

^[7] Charles R. Swindoll, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 9, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 60.

[8] Swindoll, Charles R.. Laugh Again (p. 120). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

[9] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/safe-to-feel-deeply?utm_campaign=Daily%20Email&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=73918595&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ClWbI80SKZvKf5rALtivl-pb4rUjn1BxpnEERoeggSQQT3Fh-DLaUCP9iK7juTTt6s79yZIYR_9CPOy0moEtmLRp5dQ&_hsmi=73918595

^[10] Gordon D. Fee, Philippians, vol. 11, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1999), 123.

^[11] Charles R. Swindoll, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 9, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 60.

^[12] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2112.

^[13] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2284.

[14] Swindoll, Charles R.. Laugh Again (pp. 120- 121). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.