More of Epaphroditus' Sickness Philippians 2:27

As Paul the apostle wrote to the church located in Philippi, he desired to send Timothy and Epaphroditus their pastor to be with them. Epaphroditus was concerned for them because they heard he was sick, and in chapter two and verse twenty-seven of the letter to the Philippians we see just how sick he was. We read:

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

The verse begins, “For indeed he was sick nigh unto death:” Rather than being a cold, the flu or some temporary sickness, Epaphroditus was “sick nigh unto death” which means “to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, or powerless almost to the dying state.” In other words, Epaphroditus was so sick that he was close to death. When we see the level of his sickness we can understand more fully the level of the Philippian church's concern for him.

The verse goes on to say, “but God had mercy on him;” Though Epaphroditus was so sick, “But” declares the beginning of the alteration - “God had mercy on him”. Even though this sickness had the better of Epaphroditus, God's mercy which means “to help one afflicted or seeking aid” was superior.

The verse continues, “and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” Paul adds that God's mercy was upon him as well because he would have had “sorrow upon sorrow” which means “pain and grief” upon “pain and grief” if Epaphroditus would not have survived. It was difficult enough for Paul to be in prison for sharing the gospel, and to have Epaphroditus die while he was there would have only added to the troubles that Paul was experiencing.

Once again as we consider this man Epaphroditus, we may be challenged in our own lives. Do we love people in the manner and concern of these Philippians or even the apostle Paul? If Epaphroditus would have died, Paul would have “sorrow upon sorrow”. Do we have people in our lives who we'd place in that category? Perhaps we are sick and are in need of God's mercy. Do we have people who are as concerned over us as the church members in Philippi were over Epaphroditus? One thing is certain, these relationships set a standard for us to emulate, and maybe our prayer should be, Heavenly Father, help us to love others and be as concerned for them as these examples have been before our eyes.

Next time Paul says more about Epaphroditus' return, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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