Of Whom the World is Not Worthy (Rom. 16:5-16)

Most Christians are familiar with the list of heroes of the faith found in Hebrews 11. There they read about commendations of several Old Testament believers. Perhaps, as they read, they wonder if there is a similar list of New Testament followers and here we have one in Romans 16. So far we have thought briefly about Phebe and Priscilla and Aquila from this list of names. In this sermon I want to look at some of the comments that Paul makes about the other individuals he mentions. Most of them are unknown to us today. Yet the comments that he makes help us to see what kind of people they were.

Perhaps we wonder how Paul knew so many people in a location that he had not yet visited. One answer to that question is that he heard about them from Priscilla and Aquila because they lived in Rome at different times. A second answer is that he could have met them in other places where he preached the gospel and formed churches. Clearly he remembered their names and what they did for Jesus.

Different groups

The first detail that we can note is that the members of the church in Rome were identified with certain houses. We have already seen that some of them met in the home of Priscilla and Aquila and in verses 14 and 15 we see that there are at least two other locations where some of the church met together. It may have been the case that these groups came from different parts of the city of Rome and members attended the one in their geographical location. We do not know how easy it would have been for all of them to meet together each Lord’s Day, so perhaps they had made this arrangement of being connected to a particular group.

I suppose it is worth asking why they made this arrangement. We are not told, but I do not think the question is difficult to answer. They would have met for fellowship. This was the case with regard to the church since Pentecost. In Acts 2:42, we have a description of the priorities of the church in Jerusalem, one of which was fellowship. The church there had its central meetings in the temple area, but they also had smaller meetings in their homes in which they shared together matters connected to God. Fellowship together is a sign of a healthy church.

There is no hint in the list that the presence of different groups presented any threats to the unity of the church in Rome. Instead, the fact that Paul greets some of them by their groups would indicate that he thought unity would increase the more they met together. It is sad when groups represent division rather than fellowship, but it is a matter for delight when groups represent a desire for fellowship.

Delightful descriptions

A second feature of the list is the variety of ways in which Paul describes the people he greets. To begin with, we can note that he calls several of them ‘beloved’. It is possible that he uses this word to speak to those he has already met elsewhere. We can see from the frequency of its usage that Paul obviously was a man marked by brotherly love. He uses the word with regard to males and females, so he had this affection for Christians whatever their gender. He also uses it with regard to Christians from different racial backgrounds (Persis is a female from Persia whereas others have European names), so his affections were not based on any nationalistic connections. It is possible that the word was shorthand for saying that they were beloved of God, and that they loved one another because of his love for them.

Whether that is the case or not, we can see that Paul advocated a simple way of expressing this love when he said that the Christians should greet one another with a holy kiss. What was it that made the kiss holy? Paul is probably referring to the common way that people greeted one another, which was by kissing on the cheeks. I suppose we can say that motives made it holy. It would be holy when it was an expression of brotherly love. But it is important to note that Paul stressed that there should be a visible expression of it.

A second feature of Paul’s use of words is seen in the way he describes several of them as working for the kingdom. Again he mentions both men and women as doing this. Mary is described as having worked hard for the church whereas Persis is described as having worked hard in the Lord. We do not know what they did, but what Paul stresses about them is that they were active Christians. No doubt, their activities included providing practical help and spiritual encouragement. What is evident is that Paul was delighted with the work that those individuals did.

It is possible that verse 12 hints at a piece of humour on Paul’s part. Commentators like to point out that the names of Tryphaena and Tryphosa can mean Dainty and Delicate, and Paul points out that they worked very hard. He stressed their contribution by using the present whereas he uses the past tense to describe the work of Persis. Perhaps she could no longer do what she once had done.

Here are sample verses about getting involved in the work of the kingdom. Paul wrote to the Colossians urging them that ‘Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ’ (Col. 3:23-24). Writing to the Galatians, he said: ‘And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith’ (6:9-10). The first verse promises eternal rewards and the second verse promises rewards in this life, although both are based on serving the Lord. And here is one more verse about working for the Lord, this time from 1 Corinthians 15:58, stated after Paul had explained the wonderful reality of the resurrection of Jesus and its many great consequences: ‘Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.’ Those individuals that Paul mentions here are examples of obedience to those verses.

A third feature that Paul mentions is faithfulness and we this in the couple mentioned in verse 7: ‘Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.’ A lot of ink has been spilt over the phrase ‘well known to the apostles’ because it can be read as if it meant that they belonged to the group of apostles chosen by Jesus. It is safe to say that they were not apostles of that nature. Here are a couple who served the Lord in different places. Perhaps they were similar to Priscilla and Aquila in what they did. In modern language, we would probably regard them as a missionary couple (Andronicus is a man and Junia is a woman).

Paul mentions that they were Jewish Christians (kinsmen could mean that they were related to him, a possibility that led Spurgeon to ask if they had prayed for their relative’s conversion), that they were converted before he was (they had probably been Christians for over twenty-five years), and that they had been in prison with him for the faith (we don’t know which imprisonment he is referring to). They could even have been converted on the Day of Pentecost, which would explain why the apostles knew them. Perhaps they were among those who were forced to leave Jerusalem in the persecution connected to the death of Stephen. From what we do know about them, the one word that covers such consistency is faithfulness. And it is notable that Paul mentions that both of them were equally so.

The fourth detail I would mention is the description of Apelles in verse 10, ‘approved in Christ.’ Paul’s description ‘approved’ indicates that Apelles had come through a very difficult trial, an ordeal in which it was possible for him to have failed, but in which he remained loyal to Jesus with great steadfastness. People could look at him and say that it was possible to remain true in the hottest trial.

Those four details – beloved, hard-working, faithful and approved – should mark all those who trust in Jesus. It marked the members of the church in Rome and it can mark members of all churches wherever they are.

Two striking conversions

Before we make some application points in conclusion, we look briefly at two striking conversations that Paul mentions in this list. The first is ‘my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia’ (v. 5). Paul took the gospel to the province of Asia when he went to Ephesus along with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:). He was only there for a short time, but during that period he influenced a few people and then left, leaving them under the care of Priscilla and Aquila. It is not surprising that Paul mentions Epaenetus right after he refers to Priscilla and Aquila – some commentators even speculate if he had taken up employment with them and was converted through that means.

Of course, Paul knows that there were more converts that Epaenetus in Asia. He uses the term ‘first-fruits’ to describe him, which is an allusion to the Jewish offering in which a sample grain was used because it pointed to the certainty of the harvest. No doubt, Paul and Priscilla and Aquila had said to one another, as they served God in Ephesus and then mentioned other churches that commenced in the area, ‘Remember when Epaenetus was saved. It was a wonderful time and look at how many more have come!’

The second amazing conversion is Rufus, mention in verse 13: ‘Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.’ Who was Rufus? It is generally accepted that Mark wrote his gospel first for the church in Rome. And in Mark 15:21, he mentions a man called Rufus who was the son of Simon, the man who was compelled by the Roman soldiers to carry the cross of Jesus: ‘And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.’ Mark would only mention their names because the readers would know who they were. So there, in the church in Rome was the wife and one of the sons of the man who carried the cross of Jesus. I wonder what Simeon thought when he was forced to carry it. I wonder what he thought when he was converted, when his wife was converted, and when his sons were converted.

Paul obviously met the wife of Simeon and mentions that she was like a mother to him. We are not told where that was, but it is amazing how the cross brought them together. Of course, we only about the names in this chapter because of the cross. And if they are ever to hear about us, it will be because we too have discovered the meaning of the cross. That is the first application that we can make from this chapter: have we discovered the power of the cross of Jesus?

There are two other applications. First, do we remember those who helped us in the faith? Perhaps it would be useful to think round the congregation and note how others have helped us this year. And then we can extend it to thinking about those who helped us in the past. Second, how do we become like Paul, so focussed on other people? I suppose the answer is that he stopped regarding himself as Number 1. He learned that primarily from Jesus and then, secondly, from other followers of Jesus whom he met in his travels.