Philippians: Paul Sends Epaphroditus
Philippians 2:25-30; Matthew 26:36-38 - Another joyful man of God who survived an illness is being prepared to return to Philippi.
“But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.”
Philippians 2:25-30 NASB1995
So is Paul sending Timothy or Epaphroditus or both to the church at Philippi? The passage is not real clear on this point. Some of the commentators read into the last passage that Timothy is ready to go, but won’t be sent quite yet because they are sorting out Paul’s situation. However, Paul is definitely sending Epaphroditus. Who is Epaphroditus? Here’s what Gotquestions.org says about this faithful believer, who is only mentioned in Philippians:
Paul was under house arrest in Rome, and the church in Philippi desired to send Paul what we might call a “care package.” The Philippian believers gathered supplies and sent them to Rome by the hand of one of their own, a man named Epaphroditus.
Epaphroditus faithfully delivered the gift from his home church and then went above and beyond the call of duty. In his fervor to serve the Lord by serving Paul, Epaphroditus became seriously ill and, in fact, almost died. God graciously granted Epaphroditus health, and Paul sent his friend back home with the newly penned book of Philippians. This is part of what Paul wrote: “I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me” (Philippians 2:25–30).
To the Philippians, Epaphroditus was a messenger who delivered a package. To Paul, however, he was so much more: a “brother” (belonging to the same family), a “co-worker” (laboring toward the same goal), and a “fellow soldier” (sharing the same trials). Epaphroditus was a man of obvious devotion, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice. He put “the interests of others” before himself and so modeled the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:4–5). He labored on Paul’s behalf until his own health broke, and, even when he was sick, Epaphroditus took no thought of himself; rather, he was distressed because his church had heard of his illness, and he didn’t want them to worry.
Paul mentions Epaphroditus again near the close of his letter: “I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). The very next verse is the oft-quoted promise that God takes care of those who put God first: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Interestingly, Epaphroditus’s name is of pagan origin. It means “belonging to Aphrodite”—the name of the goddess is actually incorporated into the name Epaphroditus. Such is the power of the gospel that a man is set free from dead paganism to serve the living God. When Epaphroditus received the gospel, he was “belonging to Jesus,” and the idol had no more claim on him, regardless of his name. The new birth trumped the birth name.
Do you ever wonder about the thousands of nameless Christians who labored in love and obedience to God in the days of the early church? A few get their names mentioned in the Bible, like Timothy and Epaphroditus, but I’m sure there were so many more who gave their all (including their lives) for the sake of their belief in the Lord and to help establish various congregations. Brian Bill, quoted in Precept Austin, talks about the descriptions for Epaphroditus in Philippians:
(1) My brother – this literally meant “from the same womb.” In that culture, there was not much “brotherly love” and the church provided a place where people felt connected and encouraged. They both shared the same passion for the Gospel.
(2) Fellow worker – Paul and Epaphroditus had an effective partnership in ministering to the church of Philippi and beyond.
(3) Fellow soldier – Paul never calls us to a life of ease but to a battlefield. Today is Memorial Day [apparently the day that Brian Bill gave this sermon]. This is a time when we honor the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom. If you are a member of the armed services or you are a veteran please stand.
(4) “Messenger – He was designated by the church at Philippi to be their representative to Paul.
(5) Minister – Epaphroditus’ mission was to carry the financial gift to Paul and then to remain indefinitely to “take care of his needs.” He ministered to and with Paul as he was under house arrest in Rome. By the way, raise your hand if you are a minister. If you are a Christian, God has given you a ministry. Do you know what it is?
Epaphroditus was clearly missing the saints at Philippi and was distressed to think that they had heard of his near-fatal illness. The same Greek verb, ἀδημονέω or adēmonéō (Strong’s G85) is used in Matthew 26:
“Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.””
Matthew 26:36-38 NASB1995
Paul was spared by God from the “sorrow upon sorrow” that could have happened when Epaphroditus became deathly ill had he succumbed to that illness. Non-believers often point at Christianity and our God as problematic because saved people still get sick and die. Children of devout followers of Jesus die of cancer, many faithful believers suffer physically from various ailments, and saints die in tragic situations. This quote from Charles Spurgeon that I found on Precept Austin is a superb answer to that question:
"Why are diseases and pains left in the bodies of God’s people? Our bodies are redeemed, for Christ has redeemed our entire manhood, but if Christ be in us the body is still dead because of sin, even though the spirit is alive because of righteousness. It is not till the resurrection that we shall enjoy the full result of the redemption of the body. Resurrection will accomplish for our bodies what regeneration has done for our souls. We were born again, but that divine work was exercised only upon our spiritual nature. Our bodies were not born again; hence they still abide under the liability of disease, decay, and death, though even these evils have been turned into blessings.
This frail, sensitive, and earthly frame, which Paul calls “our humble body” (Phil 3:21), grows weary and worn, and by-and-by it will fade away and die, unless the Lord shall come. And even if He should come, this feeble fabric must be totally changed, for flesh and blood as they now are cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither can corruption dwell with incorruption. Even unto this day the body is under death because of sin, and is left so on purpose to remind us of the effects of sin, that we may feel within ourselves what sin has done, and may the better guess at what sin would have done if we had remained under it, for the pains of hell would have been ours forever. These griefs of body are meant to make us recollect what we owe to the redemption of our Lord Jesus, and so to keep us humble and grateful.
Aches and pains are also sent to keep us on the wing for heaven, even as thorns in the nest drive the bird from its sloth. They make us long for the land where the inhabitant shall no more say, “I am sick” (Isa 33:24). Note this, that in every healing of which we are the subjects we have a pledge of the resurrection. Every time a man who is near the gates of death rises up again he enjoys a kind of rehearsal of that grand rising when from beds of dust and silent clay the perfect saints shall rise at the trump of the archangel and the voice of God. We ought to gather from our restorations from serious and perilous sickness a proof that the God who brings us back from the gates of the grave can also bring us back from the grave itself whenever it shall be His time to do so.”
LOVE this!! Spurgeon was truly a great communicator of God’s word!
Paul says this at the end of this passage (repeated here so that you don’t have to scroll up):
Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.”
Paul loves Timothy and Epaphroditus with that joyful love that characterizes a true friendship in God. Epaphroditus risked his life to complete his service from the Philippians to Paul in prison. Paul is not accusing the Philippians of being deficient in service, but is reminding them that courage is required to be a faithful friend in the faith and Epaphroditus completed his mission to Paul in spite of adversity. I really like this sermon excerpt from Brian Bill that I found on Precept Austin defining a friend; the blanks are intended to be there in the words that Brian Bill came up with:
Let’s see if we can come up with a working definition of the word “friend.”
F aithful
A friend is faithful. Samuel Coleridge wrote, “Friendship is a sheltering tree.” They are loyal to you and support you through good times and bad. The writer of Proverbs wrote:
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)
R eal
Timothy had a “genuine interest” in their welfare; a friend is the real deal. You know their heart as well as their head. They are realistic. They know your upside as well as your downside and like you anyway! Erma Bombeck stated, “A friend is someone who thinks you are good egg, even though you are a little cracked.” They desire your best and will work with you to bring that out.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Prov 27:17)
I nvested
A friend is invested in your spiritual growth. As the old Michael W. Smith song says, “A Friend’s a friend forever, if the Lord’s the lord of them.” They are willing to say the hard things that will help you on your spiritual journey. They tell you the truth, even if it hurts.
“Better an open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs 27:6)
E ncourager
A friend is your biggest cheerleader. They praise you and value your victories. They use words to build you up and when they speak you listen.
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)
N eeds
A friend thinks of your needs as much as she thinks of their own needs. They realize that friendship is a team effort and are willing to walk the road with you through the mountains and valleys of faith. Solomon wrote the words that were on the front of our wedding invitations:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Eccl 4:9-10)
D ependable
Walter Winchell said: "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." A true friend does not bail on you and would never kick you when you are down.
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
This mnemonic is a good one! Can you meet the criteria?
Bruce Hurt has a comment on another sermon excerpt in Precept Austin on being an encourager rather than a critical complainer; I’m including this because I have often seen people run away from me (at least in the past) when they got to know me because I was an inveterate complainer (even though I would deny it):
How do people react when they see you coming? Do they cringe as they wonder what criticism they are about to hear? Do they dread your coming because they know your attitude is going to be negative and self-centered? Do they avoid you because they are afraid you will give them an “organ recital” as you name off the afflictions and trouble you have? Or, do their faces light up when they see you, knowing that you come with a word of encouragement and blessing? I don’t know about you, but I want to be an encourager instead of a critical complainer. How about you?
My next devotional examines Philippians 3:1-6 - Paul cautions the believers at Philippi to rejoice in the Lord and to be aware of dogs, evil workers and false circumcisions. He also tells a story about his background.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Help me to be an encourager to others rather than a complainer. Help me to cultivate friends in the faith and to not worry about the frailties of the body. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 07/17/2025 to answer the question, “Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible?”
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 07/17/2025 to review the lexicon for distressed.
Precept Austin was accessed on 07/17/2025 to review commentary for Philippians 2:25-30.