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.
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