Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21)

If someone asked this question, ‘How often is Tychicus mentioned in the New Testament?’, what would reply. Or if the person asked, ‘tell me the books in which he is mentioned,’ what would we say? He is mentioned in Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, Titus and 2 Timothy. 

Who was Tychicus?

He is first mentioned in Acts 20 as one of the Christians  who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem with the collection that had been gathered from several churches to help the suffering believers in Jerusalem. We are not told where he came from in Asia although it is reasonable to assume that he was one of Paul’s converts. By this time, he had matured enough to become a trusted delegate to the church in Jerusalem.

The next mention of his name is with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7), which indicates that he had remained with Paul after his arrest in Jerusalem and had accompanied him to Rome. These references state that he had been chosen by Paul to take his letters to the churches in Ephesus and Colosse. This means that two of the books of the New Testament (Ephesians and Colossians) were first delivered to their destinations by Tychicus.

The third mention of Tychicus occurs in Titus 3:12, where Paul mentions that he is considering sending Tychicus to replace Titus so that he can meet up with Paul. The last mention is 2 Timothy 4:12, where Paul once again sends him to Ephesus in order to allow Timothy to join Paul in Rome when the apostle was in prison there for the second time. Tychicus had become such an advanced Christian that he could take the place of such leaders as Titus and Timothy.

Paul’s sacrificial spirit

When he wrote Ephesians, Paul was facing a possible period of personal trouble because of his impending trial before Caesar. Yet although he was in a situation of  individual need he was willing to make personal sacrifices for the benefit of Christ’s kingdom. He showed his willingness by sending this accomplished Christian to help the Christians in Asia Minor.

Paul’s strategic selection

As Paul thought about whom he should send as the bearer of these letters, he was drawn to Tychicus, and his choice was based on his spiritual qualities and his national background. The former is the more important, although the latter is not insignificant. Tychicus was from the province of Asia and had been the representative of these churches when the collection was taken to the church in Jerusalem. Tychicus’ testimony would be more acceptable to the individuals in Ephesus than would that of a person from another part of the world.

Tychicus’ spiritual qualities were very clear. We see some of them in the threefold description of his in Colossians as a brother, a minister and a servant; we see two others in Paul’s expectation that Tychicus would both describe things as they were in Rome and encourage the hearts of his listeners. Tychicus knew how to speak as a Christian leader; his choice of words in describing Paul’s circumstances would comfort his listeners. Paul himself had experienced these features of Tychicus’ character during the difficult periods he had experienced in recent years.

Paul’s striking sketch

In Colossians, Paul gives three descriptive details of his friend Tychicus: a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow-servant, with each of these relationships being ‘in the Lord’. These are a wonderful combination of graces, and their wonder is enhanced when we recall that the relationship of Paul and Tychicus illustrates what Jesus had done in bringing Jews and Gentiles together (Eph. 2:11-17). In their pre-Christian days Paul and Tychicus would have had nothing to do with one another. Now their lives were entwined.

The first detail is that Tychicus is Paul’s beloved brother. Obviously, this reminds us that Christians belong to the same family, that they are the children of God. Adoption into God’s family is the height of spiritual blessing. The basic outlook of a family is love and that is true of God’s family. Love is expressed towards God and is also expressed towards one another.

What are some of the benefits of loving one another as Christians? First, it gives a sense of assurance that we are saved: ‘We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers’ (1 John 3:14), with the context making clear that John has sacrificial love in mind. Second, it gives protection from falling into sin: ‘Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling’ (1 John 2:10). The context makes it clear that failure to love fellow Christians results in spiritual blindness, that loveless believers cannot see dangers lying in their path. Such Christians are easy prey for the evil one. Thirdly, it makes our evangelism credible: ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:34-35).

Tychicus was dear to Paul because he saw true love displayed by his friend. Connected to this delight that Paul experienced was his awareness that Tychicus was dependable, revealing his trustworthiness as he functioned as Paul’s faithful minister. In Colossians 4:7 Paul uses two words that can be translated as ‘servant’: one is the term translated ‘deacon’ (also used in Ephesians 6:21) and the other term means ‘slave’.

By diakonos (minister), Paul probably refers to the personal role that Tychicus performed on the apostle’s behalf as his delegate or representative – he had proved himself faithful over the years that Paul had known him. By sundoulos, Paul describes both of them as slaves of a common Master. Each of them had individual roles to perform as slaves of Christ, and Paul affirms that Tychicus did his role well.

In this third description, that of slave, we have the key to Christian service. Tychicus served Paul, but Paul was not his master. He served Paul because Jesus wanted him to do so. Because he loved Christ and desired to serve him, he also lovingly served Paul. Love to his Master led him to be faithful to his other servants.

We can ask ourselves two questions. The first question is, ‘What do we say about other Christians?’ Do we highlight their positive contributions or their failures? Connected to that first question is a second one, which is perhaps more searching: ‘What would another Christian say about us based on the way we interact with them?’