You Rejoice and I Less Sorrowful Philippians 2:28

As Paul the apostle wrote to the church members in Philippi, he desired to send both Timothy and Epaphroditus to be with them in person. Although Paul would have loved to have visited them himself, he knew that Epaphroditus, their pastor, and Timothy would be beneficial to both the church and himself. The Philippians heard that their pastor was sick unto death, and they were very concerned for him, however Paul knew if Epaphroditus returned to them it would encourage their hearts and his. In chapter two and verse twenty-eight of Philippians, Paul tells more concerning the results of Epaphroditus' going back to be with the church. He wrote:

I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when you see him again,

you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

The verse begins, “I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when you see him again,...” Paul knew there would be “sorrow upon sorrow” if the Lord would not have been merciful to Epaphroditus, so he sent him back to the church “the more carefully” which means “hastily, with haste, diligently, and earnestly”. Upon first glance it may appear that Paul was sending Epaphroditus back to the church with tender, not desiring to hurt or harm him, hands, but the idea is that Paul did not delay and hastily sent Epaphroditus back to the church so they could “see him again”. Since they were so concerned over his health, as soon as the church members saw Epaphroditus it would encourage their hearts.

The verse goes on to say, “...you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.” The result of the church seeing Epaphroditus would be to “rejoice” or “be glad, to rejoice exceedingly, to be well, and thrive”. As soon as they saw Epaphroditus, they would be very happy, and Paul the apostle would be “less sorrowful” which means “free from pain or grief”. Both the church members and Paul would be affected by Epaphroditus' return.

The level of concern both from Paul and the church in Philippi merits our meditative attention. We see the love and concern of the church members towards their pastor, and we discover the commitment that Paul has toward them as well. There is emotional attachment modeled in each of them, and the basis is compassion that is a derivative of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Over and over throughout this book we have seen the word “joy” or “rejoice” used by Paul, and there seems to be a tie between the level of love people have toward one another and how glad, well and thriving they are themselves. As we think on these things, may the Lord Jesus give us the love that these church members had for their pastor, and may we exemplify our love and concern for others as Paul did for the church.

Next time Paul gives the Philippians instructions for receiving Epaphroditus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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