1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. ~ Romans 16:1-16
Today, we come to the final chapter of the book of Romans, Romans 16. Most miss the tremendous lessons on servanthood in this chapter because it seems to just be a long list of names but it is oh so much more. For example, the first person the Apostle Paul mentions here is Phoebe who was one of thirty-three people mentioned in this chapter. Nine of them were with Paul in Corinth. Twenty four of the names mentioned here were in Rome. There were two households mentioned, and two unnamed women, the mother of Rufus and the sister of Nereus.
Phoebe bore and preserved this letter all along the hazardous journey from Corinth to Rome. She is referenced here by the Apostle Paul as "a servant of the church in Cenchrea." Cenchrea was the port of Corinth, located about nine miles east of the city. A group of believers met faithfully there, and Phoebe was a faithful servant to them. So, the first name on this long list of names was a woman. Down through the years we have heard others accuse the Apostle Paul of being chauvinistic and misogynistic. It is true that throughout time women have been treated as subservient to men, but, a careful study of history reveals that Christianity has elevated women. The Lord Jesus Himself elevated women by involving them quite heavily in His ministry. And, women played a prominent role in Paul's ministry. As John F Kennedy once said, "A rising tide raises all boats." The very fact that the least were lifted up by the gospel speaks to its authenticity and organic difference.
In v.3 the Apostle mentions Priscilla and Aquila who were themselves from Rome. The believers in Rome were familiar with this wonderful couple who had been expelled from Rome by Caesar Claudius. They ended up in Corinth where the Apostle Paul met them in the synagogue there. I find it most interesting to note that in the synagogue service, the women sat on one side while the men sat on the other side. And, the men sat together according to their occupation. Since the Apostle Paul was a tent maker, he sat next to Aquila who also was a tent maker. Priscilla and Aquila came to faith in the Lord Jesus, and they hosted the meeting of believers in their home. For the first 200 years of Christianity, churches met in homes. There were no public church buildings like we have today. We will do well to return to the early church model.
In v.5-6 the Apostle mentions Epaenetus who was the first to believe the gospel when Paul came to the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital. One never forgets the first one he witnesses seeing go from the darkness into the light. No matter how many others follow, we never forget the first. We do not know what Epaenetus was doing in Rome, but he was cherished because he was the first to exercise faith in Asia. And associated with him is Mary, of whom Paul wrote, "Mary who labored much for us." She was one of the group of unknown women in the Gospels who had the gift of service. This underscores the fact that every gift and every talent is of utmost importance to accomplish the tasks before us in a given day.
In v.9 Paul mentions Urbanus which was a common name for slaves in those days. Urbanus means city-bred. So it was a generic name usually for a slave who was raised in the city. But what is interesting is in the same verse, Stachys is mention. Stachys was of the royal household of Caesar Claudius. In this verse we have a slave and a person of royalty mentioned together. This is what the Lord Jesus does to a community; He brings people from the two ends of the social spectrum together. This just underscores that fact that at the foot of the cross, we are all on equal ground.
In v.10 the Apostle Paul urges the believers in Rome to greet Aristobulus who was the grandson of Herod Agrippa I, which made him the great grandson of Herod the Great. Then in v.11, Paul highlights Herodion who was obviously somebody related to the household of Herod. And then, Paul urges them to greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who was a well-known, wealthy, influential, bad dude, who was the secretary to the Emperor Claudius, who obviously come to faith in the Lord Jesus.
All of these names reveal so many principles that causes one to be successful in this life. One of these many principles is that fact that the Apostle Paul always had a team that was around him. That's why he was so successful. All of these people were there to support and pray for Paul in a variety of ways. One of the greatest dangers in any organization is that there is one man that everyone follows; this is not biblical. In fact, the model the Lord gives us in His word is a plurality of leadership. Add to that the fact that the Lord has equipped every believer with spiritual gifts and natural talents, the involvement of many in the decision making and the execution of the plan is the best way to go.
The list of names in this chapter reflects Paul’s purposes for writing the letter to the Romans. Paul wrote to the Roman believers about the gospel so that they would love and look out for one another, particularly across ethnic and socioeconomic lines. In a world where class envy is used for selfish purposes by everyone, it is refreshing to see ethnic differences valued for selfless reasons. Such is the nature of the Gospel and its centerpiece: the grace of God. The grace of God knows no favorites.
We must never forget that ministry is about people. Good ministry comes out of good relationships. Paul’s list of names reflects the intense relationships that he had with believers throughout the world. Serving with brothers and sisters in Christ is one way to greatly deepen our relationships. In fact, the deepest relationships that I have in this life is with those with whom I have gone through the deepest of troubles. This is by design; our struggles galvanize us together to make us strong together.
