The Book of Romans - Lesson 16

Transcription

1 In Chapter Fifteen, Paul had encouraged the Jewish and Gentile believers to build each other up, and not to create divisions over unimportant issues. He had explained why he was writing them, and why he hoped to visit them after his upcoming trip to Jerusalem. The end of that chapter almost sounded like the end of the letter as it ends with "The God of peace be with you all. Amen." However, Paul continues with Chapter 16, which is largely acknowledgements and greeting. However, it is important because, like the Book of Acts, it gives us insight into the 1 st Century Church and the context of Paul's epistles. Romans 16:1-2 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. Evidently Phoebe was the bearer of this epistle. Cenchrea was the eastern harbor of Corinth. It is therefore possible that Phoebe's livelihood was connected with commerce or shipping, and that she went to sea regularly. The Greek word here translated "servant" is διá½±κονος {dä -ä'-ko-nos} which is the word sometimes translated "deacon." It is also translated "minister" and "servant." It is a word which Paul applies to both himself and Jesus Christ. This is certainly the basis for a strong argument that women in 1 / 15

2 the 1 st Century Church were "deacons." Phoebe is the first of at least ten women Paul mentions in the chapter, pointing out the always crucial role of women in the Church. Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla [a] and Aquila, [b] my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 16:4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Jews by race, but natives of Pontus, like Paul, they were tentmakers. Just prior to Paul's finding them in Corinth, they had lived in Rome, until Emperor Claudius had ordered the expulsion of all the Jews in 50 AD. Paul worked with them in his trade and lived with them during his first visit to Corinth in 51 AD, and they were already converts at that time. When he finished his ministry in Corinth, they accompanied him to Ephesus in 52 AD, where he left them and went back to his home church in Antioch, Syria (Acts 18:18, 26). They stayed there until Paul returned in 55 AD. During that time helped to train Apollos in the scriptures. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in 56 AD, they were still in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19). At this time (58 AD) Priscilla and Aquila had returned to Rome as evidenced here. By 66 AD, when Paul wrote to Timothy, they were re-established in Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19). Romans 16:5a Greet also the church that meets at their house. 2 / 15

3 This indicates that there was more than one church. Evidently the churches were small and scattered over the city. This raises the question, Which one did Paul send this letter to, and why? And did he send more than one copy? It is a good question, but one which we don't have an answer to. Romans 16:5b Greet my dear friend Epenetus, [c] who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Paul's first ministry in Asia was in the company of Priscilla and Aquila as related shortly in Acts 18:19 "They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews." Epenetus must have responded to that message and been associated with Priscilla and Aquila ever since. Romans 16:6 Greet Mary, [d] who worked very hard for you. Here is an woman of which we know little except that she lived in Rome, was known to Paul as having worked hard for the Roman churches. We also know that "Mary" is a Jewish name, so she was probably Jewish. 3 / 15

4 Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus [e] and Junias, [f] my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Junias is a Latin name, and Adronicus is a Greek name. We should remember that Paul's family had inherited Roman citizenship so it should not be surprising that they had Gentile names. Although some commentators have tried to interpret the word "relatives" here as only meaning "fellow Jew," that seems like an untenable argument. There were so many Jews involved in the early Church that it seem unlikely that Paul would call attention to just these two being Jews. The alternative interpretation of "relative" or near kin is much more likely. If that is so, it gives us an insight into Paul's life that we don't see in Acts. The conversion of these relatives back home in Tarsus (where Paul was from) may have contributed to Paul's violent reaction against the Gospel of Christ that originally led Paul to seek Stephen's death (Acts 8:1). It also opens a window into what Paul was doing during his years in Tarsus after his Damascus ministry, before he was taken to Antioch by Barnabbas (Acts 11:25). He was preaching the Gospel there with his relatives, Andronicus and Junias, with whom he had been imprisoned at least once. Romans 16:8-9 Greet Ampliatus, [g] whom I love in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, [h] our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. [i] 16:10 Greet Apelles, [j] tested and approved in Christ. 4 / 15

5 Two of these seem to be friends, and two of them seem to be fellow missionaries. Romans 16:10-11a Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. [k] Greet Herodion, my relative. A household refers to a large establishment with many to serve its interests. There lived at about this time in Rome a great-grand son of Herod the Great named Aristobulus. He was later appointed King of Armenia by Nero (according to Josephus). This may refer to him. He would have had a large household of Jewish servants. This does not mean Aristobulus was Christian only that there were some in his household who were. Connected with Aristobulus is another relative of Paul named Herodion. The name Herodion is a tribute to the family of Herod, of whom Aristobulus was a part. It seems likely that he was named to honor the patrons of his family, the Herods, and later became part of the household. We know that Paul had a sister who lived in Jerusalem at this time (Acts 23:16). Perhaps this was a son of hers. Another one would save Paul from assassination in Jerusalem a few months after this was written. Romans 16:11b Greet those in the household of Narcissus [l] who are in the Lord. Here is another household, evidently of a wealthy Roman. 5 / 15

6 Romans 16:12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Here are three more women. Because of the similarity of their names and their meanings ("dainty" and "delicate") it is likely that Tryphena and Tryphosa were sisters. Perhaps Persis (which means "Persian woman") had come all the way from Persia. There were large segments of the Jewish Diaspora who lived in the area of Persia and, according to tradition, had been reached by the ministries of Bartholomew, Jude, Simon the Zealot, Matthew, and Thomas. Romans 16:13 Greet Rufus, [m] chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Here Paul refers to a Rufus and his mother. Paul says that Rufus' mother had been a mother to him. That implies that she had taken Paul into her home and taken care of him for some time. The one place that Paul had ministered, up to this point, where that might have happened was Antioch. (In Tarsus, he would have stayed with his own family.) We know that the Church at Antioch had been founded by Christians from Cyrene (Acts 11:20). When Mark wrote his gospel to the Church at Antioch he mentioned Rufus, the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Christ as someone they know (Mark 15:21). I think that this Rufus and his mother were the founding family of the Church at Antioch and took Paul into their home when Barnabbas 6 / 15

7 brought him from Tarsus to teach the burgeoning Church of Antioch. Romans 16:14-16 Greet Asyncritus, [n] Phlegon, [o] Hermes, [p] Patrobas, [q] Hermas [r] and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, [s] Julia, [t] Nereus [u] and his sister, and Olympas [v] and all the saints with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. All these others have Greek names. Their meanings are given in the footnotes. Whether or not their names have any significant spiritual meaning like "Paul" and "Peter" is uncertain, but some of them are certainly suggestive of that. Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 7 / 15

8 Here Paul cannot help but repeat his warning and concern of the previous two chapters. People who cause division and oppose sound teaching showed up from the very first of the Church. In some eras they almost seem to be the only ones in evidence. They are just like the serpent in the Garden. Romans 16:19a Everyone has heard about your obedience enthusiasm for teaching, so I am full of joy over you; The Greek word translated "obedience" here is á½ πακοá½µ {hüp-ä-ko-ä'} which literally means hyper-listening. In other words they are enthusiastic about listening carefully to what they are taught. That is great, but the problem is, some of what they are listening to is wrong. Romans 16:19b but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about unpolluted with what is evil. [w] 8 / 15

9 The word translated "innocent" here is á¼ κá½³ραιος {ä-ke'-rä«-os} which is literally "without admixture." In other words, Paul is upset because he has heard of the false teaching to which some of the Roman Christians are being subjected. That was a major motivation for writing this letter. Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. [x] The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. However, Paul is confident that if they really are hungry for the true word of God, they will succeed in defeating Satan and all of his lies. Romans 16:21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, [y] Jason [z] and Sosipater, [aa] my relatives. The Timothy here is, of course, the Timothy who had been with Paul for the last seven years 9 / 15

10 since the start of his second missionary journey. Eventually Paul came to regard him like a son (1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2). Paul also names three others who were also evidently of his party. These also seem to have been members of Paul's family. I don't suppose we should be surprised that the Gospel worked so powerfully in his family. There certainly would have been powerful prayers to that end. Romans 16:22 I, Tertius, [bb] who wrote down this letter, [cc] greet you in the Lord. This is one of the mentions that run through Paul's letters that catalogue Paul's inability to see which I believe was Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul first mentions the disability in Galatians 6:11, where he mentions that he wrote with a "large letter." In 2 Thessalonians, he states that he has only signed the letters, and someone else has written them (2 Thessalonians. 3:17). In the next three letters (1 Corinthians, Romans, and Colossians) Paul says he only signed them (1 Corinthians 16:21, Romans 16:22, Colossians 4:18). No letter after Colossians mentions Paul's writing problem or who was his transcriber. These include, in order, Philemon, Philippians, Ephesians, Hebrews, 2 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy. Perhaps, God healed him at last. Romans 16:23 Gaius, [dd] whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, [ee] who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus [ff] send you their greetings. 10 / 15

11 This possibly refers to the Corinthian of that name who was baptized by Paul (1 Corinthians 1:14). He was probably not Gaius of Derbe who was a traveling companion of Paul's from Derbe in Asia Minor. The Erastus here is probably not the Erastus mentioned in Acts 19:22 and 2 Timothy 4:20, as that Erastus traveled with Paul. Romans 16:24 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." The Textus Receptus and consequently the King James version have "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." The NIV omits this verse as it is not in some of the other Greek manuscripts like the Alexandrian text. For what it is worth, it is very similar to Paul's ending of the previous chapter: Romans 15:33 "The God of peace be with you all. Amen." Romans 16:25-27 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him-- to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. Paul closes with a reminder of the importance of the Gospel of the New Testament and the 11 / 15

12 prophetic writings of the Old Testament for our establishment and the importance of teaching them to all nations. We stand on the word of God, which is not only our foundation but the proof of the Gospel through the fulfillment of all that was said from the beginning of the world about Jesus Christ. [a] Priscilla means "little old lady." [b] Aquila means "eagle." [c] Epenetus means "praiseworthy." [d] From the Hebrew name "Miriam" which means "rebellion." It was famously the name of Jesus' mother and Moses' sister. [e] Andronicus means "man of victory" [f] Junias means "youthful." [g] Ampliatus means "large." [h] Urbanus means "of the city" or "cultured." [i] Stachys means "a head of grain." 12 / 15

13 [j] Apelles means "called." [k] Aristobulus means "the best councilor." [l] Narcissus means "stupidity." [m] Rufus means "red." [n] Asyncritus means "incomparable." [o] Phlegon means "burning." [p] Hermes is the name in the Greek religion of the messenger of the Gods. The Roman counterpart was Mercury. [q] Patrobas means "paternal." [r] Hermas is another form of Hermes - see footnote c. [s] Philologus means "lover of the word." [t] Julia means "soft haired." 13 / 15

14 [u] Nereus means "lump." [v] Olympas means "heavenly." Refers to the home of the Gods in the Greek religion, Mt. Olympas [w] See Matthew 10:16b "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." [x] Calls to mind Genesis 3:15. As Jesus crushed Satan's head on the cross, we can participate in the crushing in our walk. [y] Possibly the same Lucius of Cyrene mentioned in Acts 13:1 who was with Paul in Antioch before his 1 st missionary journey. [z] Possibly the same Jason from Thessalonica mentioned in Acts 17:5-9 who was Paul's host in Thessalonica, evidently he was a relative. [aa] Sosipater means "savior of his father." [bb] Tertius means "third." Possibly because he was the third son. [cc] Paul had suffered from partial blindness since his trip through Galatia six years earlier in 58 A.D. [dd] Gaius means "lord." 14 / 15

15 [ee] Erastus means "beloved." [ff] Quartus means "fourth." 15 / 15