Philemon 23-25
What can be learned from a final greeting? That is what these verses are dealing with
and in verse 23 we are introduced to Epaphras, Paul’s fellow prisoner in Christ
Jesus, and we would not know that he is a companion of Paul’s, unless we look
to Colossians 1:7-8 and we find that he is from Colossae. Paul said this about him, “just as you
learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your
behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” In Colossians 4:12-13, we are
given more information about Epaphras; “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus,
greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand
mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear witness that he has worked hard
for you and for those in Laodicea, and in Hierapolis.” It is important to understand that
Epaphras has taught the gospel to these people of Colossae, and they have
received it and the gospel is growing and bearing fruit because of this
faithful minister of Christ. But now he
is in Rome with Paul, maybe a prisoner, but Paul calls him a servant of Christ Jesus,
a man of prayer, and he is also telling Philemon that he is a fellow prisoner
in Christ Jesus.
In verse 24, Paul calls these men my fellow workers; they
were in Rome with him, not as prisoners, but co-workers in the kingdom of
Christ. You may be familiar with the
names Mark and Luke, but Aristarchus and Demas may not have hit your radar. The first time we hear of Aristarchus is in
Acts 19:29, he is from Macedonia and is a companion of Paul’s and is taken
captive in a riot at Ephesus; that’s the first time we hear of him. Acts 27:2, gives insights that I’ve
missed. Paul is a prisoner going to
Rome, and was accompanied by none other than Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. And in the book of Colossians 4:10, Paul
refers to Aristarchus as my fellow prisoner.
Demas, another of Paul’s co-laborers, whom we may not be
familiar with is found in Colossians 4:14, “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.” So this we know that the church at
Colossae knows who Demas is and must have some kind of history with him. And in the letter to Philemon, Demas is
called my fellow worker, but in 2 Timothy 4:10, we see a part of Demas that
should awaken every Christian that reads it.
What insight from 2 Timothy 4:9-10; “Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to
Thessalonica.”
Demas was a co-worker, a follower of Christ and was involved
in growing the kingdom of Christ on this earth, what happened? Somehow, someone got him to remove his focus
from the kingdom of God, to this present world and it did not happen over
night, Demas never saw it coming, he was polluted by a love for stuff, and
maybe the way others saw him. In the
gospel of Luke 12:15, Jesus said these words; “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds
of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions.” In the gospel
of Luke 8, Jesus is talking about the parable of the Sower beginning in verses
4-15, it seems that Demas and so many that are choked by the cares and riches
and pleasures of this life are unfruitful.
They, like Demas, have fallen in love with this present world.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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