Word of Encouragement (8/13/2021)

We start our reflection on another prayer of Paul’s in 2 Tim.: “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus” (1:16-18).

Onesiphorus appears only in 2 Tim.—here in v. 16 and again in 4:19 in the final greeting section, in which Paul asks Timothy to greet his household. So, all we know about him is pretty much limited to what Paul says about him in this section. He was a member/minister in the church at Ephesus, whose service in the church was well known to Christians all over, including Timothy (“you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus”). He was a dear friend of Paul’s (“he often refreshed me”) as well as a supporter and defender of Paul’s ministry even during Paul’s imprisonment (“he... was not ashamed of my chains”). He even made a trip to Rome and did everything possible to find Paul and encourage him there. Paul was deeply appreciative of this because “all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (v. 15). Onesiphorus remained loyal and faithful to Paul and his ministry. Even though Onesiphorus was not a major figure in the New Testament, he was highly regarded by Paul for his work of service to the church at Ephesus and for his loyalty and friendship to Paul. This is why there is spontaneity to this prayer of blessing. As Paul remembers Onesiphorus and all that he has done for him and for Christ’s church, he cannot help but pray for the Lord’s mercy on his household.

Here we see another example of friendship in its beautiful reciprocity. Why was Onesiphorus so faithful and loyal to Paul? The church of Ephesus was founded by Paul (Acts 19). We don’t know whether Onesiphorus was one of the twelve men, who were the first ones to be converted in Ephesus (Acts 19:9). But Paul and the church at Ephesus had a special relationship. In Acts 20, we see a touching picture of Paul’s farewell with the Ephesian Christians. After Paul’s long, emotional farewell speech (Acts 20:18-35), we read, “And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship” (Acts 20:37-38). And Onesiphorus was a member of that congregation, who loved Paul and appreciated his ministry to them. Most of the congregation never got to see him again but not Onesiphorus. When he heard about Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, he traveled to Rome and found Paul and ministered to him. He never forgot what Paul did for him, his family, and his church—bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation.

Far from humiliating, there is something honorable about acknowledging someone’s kindness and being grateful for it. It seems like Onesiphorus was one of those noble characters, who knew what it meant to be grateful. He did not just say, “Thanks!” and moved on, soon forgetting what Paul had done. He never forgot what Paul did. His gratitude was not like a bowl of water, which is poured out; it was rather like a fountain, which keeps springing up. We may not be rich or powerful enough to do “big” things for others. In fact, we may need help from time to time. But we can be generous in our gratitude, which is a noble trait.

We can also see that Onesiphorus’ gratitude did not go unnoticed by Paul. He appreciated it enough to mention it in his letter, including his prayer of blessing for his household. Could Onesiphorus have imagined that his name would end up in the Bible? What an incredible honor and blessing! May the Lord cultivate and deepen such relationships among us at New Life!

But I hope you see that the foundation of Paul and Onesiphorus’ relationship is the love of Christ. If Paul was willing to risk his life to preach the gospel to the Ephesians, it was because he experienced the love of Christ and it compelled him to do so. And Onesiphorus’ gratitude for what Paul did and the way he expressed it is how we should respond to Christ’s love for us. Whether we are blessed with the kind of relationship Paul and Onesiphorus had, let us not be discouraged. We have been blessed with the dearest Friend, who is more valuable than ten thousand Onesiphoruses!

‍