Alba 7-31-2022
MORE THAN JUST GREETINGS
Romans 16:1-16
Jeff Strite, minister with the Church of Christ at Logansport in Logansport, Indiana tells a story about how the way we greet one another makes a difference.
Here is how he told the story: Years ago, I was preaching in a congregation where a previous minister was a problem. He’d retired there, and the church had made him an Elder. They shouldn’t have.
This man had a terrible anger problem and several times at board meetings – if he couldn’t get his way, he’d throw a fit in and angrily leave the room.
Now... at one point he got so mad at me, he blew at me in church. The next Monday was the church board meeting and his Eldership was up for renewal and he didn’t get renewed. He blamed me for it.
For the next 6 months or so he refused to come back to church. Then – one day - I got word that he intended to come to church the following Sunday.
But he wasn’t coming back to be part of worship. He was coming back to find a way to embarrass me, and he (and some of his friends) intended to make sure everyone knew it.
Now, frankly I liked the guy. I didn’t want to hurt him. He’d been a preacher for a number of years at that congregation and I felt bad that he was behaving as he was. But I couldn’t let him get away with what he wanted to do.
So, I prayed to God, and I asked Him what I should do. And into my mind came a Scripture: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke 6:31
I thought to myself – what do I want this man to do for me? Well, I wanted him to shake my hand. So, that Sunday, this man and his little entourage made their way to sit down about two thirds of the way back on my left, and I made my way towards them.
They saw me coming and – as one body – they got up and moved over to the other side of the sanctuary. What was I to do? Well, I followed them. I swear I’d have followed them all the way out to the parking lot, because I was going to shake this man’s hand.
But they didn’t move from their new spot. I extended my hand, said the man’s name, and said “I’m so glad you’re here in church this morning.”
I knew he wasn’t happy, but he reached up and took my hand and shook it. And that put a stop that to a situation that could have hurt the church. He still didn’t like me, but it’s hard to hate someone who’s… gone out of their way to shake your hand and try to make you feel welcome.
Jeff Strite gave that man more than just a greeting. He gave, what we often call, the warm hand of fellowship. And it made a difference.
When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in Rome, some of it was very direct. He wanted them to know and be reminded of what Jesus had done for them. And he warns them of false teachers who would cause them trouble.
But he also shares a warmth of feeling toward them, especially as he closes his letter to them. He greets many of the church people by name. But it is more than just a greeting. It expresses love and encouragement to the people there.
As you look at Romans 16:1-16 you see a reference to 29 people according to my count. Some are familiar, some unknown to us, but all were important to the church in Rome.
Now I know they didn't have church buildings then, but as you read this chapter you can almost visualize yourself walking in through the open door of the church at Rome, wandering down the aisle and meeting the various members.
People whose lives have been totally transformed by the Gospel of Christ. People who are serving the Lord with all their heart.
One thing you’re going to notice is that you will meet a lot of people here who are women, the ladies. If you know anything about the Jewish or even the Roman culture of that time, you’ll remember that females were, by and large, under-appreciated.
In fact Jewish men had a prayer that went this way:
"Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile." "Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave." “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman."
But in this list in Romans 16 we meet a number of women.
That is because it is in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ that we see for the first time women receiving a place of prominence and a place of service. And that is not surprising when we consider the ministry of Jesus Himself.
After all, who prompted Jesus to perform His first miracle? A Woman! Who ministered to Christ during His public ministry? The women! Who came to anoint the body of Jesus? The women! Who were the first witnesses to the resurrected Savior? The women!
Among the greetings of Paul, the first woman we meet is Phoebe. She was from Cenchrea, a port of Corinth, which was located about nine miles east of the city. Many historians believe she was a Christian businesswoman.
It is believed that she was traveling to Rome, and was physically carrying this letter, this epistle to the Romans, because Paul was basically telling them to receive her like you would receive me.
However, she was much more than just a messenger. Phoebe was a worker in the Church, because Paul said, “She’s a servant.” There is no doubt that Phoebe provided a vital service to the Body of Christ.
Next we meet Priscilla (or Prisca in some versions). Oh, and also her husband, Aquila. They were a couple that worked with Paul, both in tent making and in preaching the gospel.
They were the ones who taught the man named Apollos the way of God more adequately. He had preached about Jesus, but knew only about John’s baptism and not about Christian baptism. They were kind enough to take him to their home and explain some things more accurately.
What is interesting about this couple is the way they are listed. Out of six instances in the New Testament where Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned, her name appears first four times!
The normal way of referring to a husband and wife during the first century was to put the husband’s name before the wife’s. Nevertheless, they are mentioned together as a perfect example of a husband and wife team working in the Lord’s Church.
Then we meet Junia. While most scholars believe that Andronicus was her husband, there is no mention of that in the text – he could possibly have been a brother or other relative.
These two were fellow countrymen of Paul, possibly even relatives of his, who became Christians before him. They also suffered imprisonment with Paul because of their Christian witness.
Next we meet Mary in verse six. Paul says in greeting her that she “labored much for us.” This is one of six “Mary's” mentioned in the New Testament. Nothing is said of her husband. Was she single? Was she widowed? All we know is that she was a good worker for the Lord.
Next we meet some sisters in verse 12. Some even think they may have been twins. Look at their names. Tryphena and Tryphosa. Strangely, I don't know anyone who has given their twin girls those names lately.
But they are good names. Tryphosa means “delicate.” Tryphena means “dainty.” Yes, good names.
But on the other hand, these names seem a little out of place because of the way Paul describes them. In the New International Version it says speaks of them as “those women who work hard in the Lord.” They weren't so dainty and delicate as to not do the hard work.
Next, also in verse 12, we meet Persis, a feminine name. Paul designates her "the beloved, who labored much in the Lord."
Her name is not found in inscriptions of the imperial household, but it does occur as the name of a freedwoman. She was one who worked very hard in the Lord, and was a dear friend of Paul.
The next woman we meet, we are not given her name. But that doesn't make her any less important. Paul speaks of Rufus, a name that means Red. So Paul says to greet Red's mother. She was a lady who provided for Paul just like he was her son.
So who was she? Some believe she was the wife of Simon of Cyrene who was forced to carry the cross that Jesus was taking to Golgatha where Jesus would die to take the punishment for our sins so that we could be forgiven.
The Gospel of Mark (Mark 15:21) records that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It is very likely that Simon became a strong Christian and influenced his wife, who was like a mother to Paul, and influenced his two sons, Rufus here, and Alexander who was in Ephesus who also gave help to Paul.
Then we have one more lady, one whose name we do not know. Paul greets Nereus and his “sister”. It is believed that they were among the emperor's servants, but also were servants of the Lord and His church.
The apostle Paul is sometimes considered chauvinistic and a woman hater. I think this section of his letter to the church in Rome makes it clear that is not the case.
He had great appreciation for the women who were active in the work of the church. He sends his warm greetings to them as well as to the men.
The Bible is full of words of encouragement which show how God values women. And what we see here is that men and women are working together for the Lord in His church.
Among the men are some interesting people as well. Based on their names it is believed that some may have been very influential men in their community and others were slaves.
For example take the name Amplias, or Ampliatus. Amplias was a single name carved on a tombstone in the earliest of the Christian catacombs, the cemetery of Domatilla.
Because it was a single name, it probably indicates that he was a slave, because Romans citizens had 3 names—nomen, praenomen, and cognomen. But, because of the decorative nature of the tomb, it indicates that Amplias was a man of high rank in the Lord’s church.
Four names: Amplias, Urbanus, Stachys and Apelles were all common slave names, some Roman, some Greek. The next three names: Aristobulus, Herodion, Narcissus seem to have some connection to the imperial household in Rome.
These names would be familiar and well known to people who were “higher ups” in the Roman government of Paul’s day.
Paul seems to imply that Herodion was one of his relatives. That’s interesting. And we believe we know who Narcissus is, not from the Bible, but from secular history.
Narcissus was a prominent Roman citizen, who was like the Chief of State of the Emperor Claudius, like his right-hand man.
When Paul salutes their households, he’s probably saluting people who are slaves in the households who have become members of the Lord’s Church.
Epaenetus is mentioned only here in the New Testament, but Paul knew him well enough to call him a “dear friend.” He was one of Paul’s first converts in Asia Minor and must have later moved to Rome.
Paul greets Apelles, who is unknown to us, and says that he was “approved in Christ”. Wouldn’t any of us like to be known as “one approved in Christ”? Now there's an epitaph any Christian should desire!
Paul goes on to greet others who played a part the life of the church, but we don’t know them other than their names. But what do we see is that Paul does more than just greet them. He shows love and respect for his fellow Christians in Rome.
His is no generic greeting. Paul didn't give one of those, “Say hello to everyone for me.” Paul's greetings are very personal and tender. And he closes this section telling the people to greet one another, and do so with a holy kiss. The emphasis here is on “holy”.
And notice how these names include both Jews and Gentiles, as well as men and women. So what do we learn from this?
We learn that there is a beautiful variety of the body of Christ. There are different ethnic groups. There are couples, single people, slaves, freemen, women, and men. All make up the beautiful variety of the body of Christ.
It’s easy to forget that the Church is not a building. It’s people. Christians all over the world make up the Church. We are not a faceless sea of people, but a community of individuals making up the body of Christ, each in his or her own place.
And see how Paul recognizes the work of these people. He lets them know that their hard work is appreciated. We need to remember to recognize people for their hard work.
Paul names a number of people here that are unknown to us - but not unknown to God! So think about it, the world may not take much note of us. But as God's people, and as workers in His kingdom, we are important to God.
We all have something to do with expanding of the Kingdom of God. We all have a part in the work of the church.
So to you who are part of this congregation, I greet you, and thank you for being the faithful people you are.
