Philippians 2.19-30, Part 2

While Paul feels unable to send Timothy to the Philippians at this moment, he determines it is “necessary” to send Epaphroditus to church right away. Paul takes pains to express both his and the Philippians’ mutual attachment to the person. He is “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier” (words reminiscent of the partnership language in chapter 1) and “your messenger and the one who serves my needs” (2.25).

Though the Philippians had initially sent this man to Paul, he eagerly embraces his own affection for the man before sending him back, likely to reassure that the Philippians (in the personage of Epaphroditus) had been well-received by the apostle and to ensure that his own message would receive a similar reception among them.

Paul sends Epaphroditus for two reasons: the messenger was longing for the church and the church was experiencing anguish at the thought of the latter’s severe illness (2.26). In sending him, Paul hopes that the Philippians will rejoice and his own anxiety about them (i.e., the Philippians) will be relieved. A good messenger, well-prepared, should accomplish these objectives given the right situation.

Paul concludes this section on his plans with a word about the church’s responsibility: they are under an obligation to receive Epaphroditus “with all joy and honor men like this” (29) because of such service for the gospel. Here the messenger becomes, for Paul, the embodiment of the participatory service in the gospel that he is trying to urge upon the church at Philippi. Paul wants them to be careless with their life as Epaphroditus was on Paul’s (and thus the gospel’s) behalf (2.29–30) and as he has been on their behalf.

Philippians 2.19-30, Part 1

So we come to a section in Philippians, not uncommon in letters of the period, wherein Paul details his future travel plans and those of his associates. He notes first of all his firm intention to send his close friend and fellow missionary, Timothy, to the Philippian body of believers. By formally expressing his plans in this way, Paul is ensuring a proper reception for Timothy.

Several items are worth noting here. What motivates Paul to send Timothy is his desire “to become aware of those things which concern” (2:19) the church at Philippi. This may be a conventional expression but nonetheless expresses Paul’s desire to be kept abreast of the real issues surrounding the believers. (Would that ministers were as vigilant about the well-being of their own local congregations as Paul was about those in cities far from his current location!)

Secondly, as assessed by his own mentor, Timothy rates high in his commitment to the gospel. We have already seen in this letter how Paul has abandoned much—e.g., his personal freedom (1.12), his concern about his reputation (1.18), his immediate desire to be with Christ (1.24–25)—in his quest to advance the gospel and its working in the lives of new believers. Timothy, it seems, is cut from the same cloth, as Paul writes of him that he “is genuinely concerned about your welfare” (2.21) and like Paul above all “served . . . the furtherance of the gospel” (2.22).

Lastly, though Paul plans on sending Timothy to the church, he nevertheless hopes to make the trip himself. From Mitchell’s study it can be reasonably concluded that Paul at times preferred to send envoys to his churches, especially when it was evident that his presence would if anything enflame a tense situation. Here, however, Paul seems to enjoy a genuinely amiable relationship with the Philippians, from which we might judge that his expressed intent here to visit them is indeed sincere. It is important that such travel plans are grounded by his brief but powerful phrase “in the Lord,” which reveals the instrumentality of his intentions.