"Real Life Change” Series

In 1921, Myra Brooks Welch told a story of an old violin that was put up for auction, in a poem called, “The Touch of the Masters Hand.”

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but held it up with a smile; “What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried, “Who’ll start the bidding for me?” “A dollar, a dollar”; “then two!” “Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once; three

dollars twice; going for three. . . ” But no, from the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said; “What am I bid for the old violin?” And he held it up with the bow. A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand! And who’ll make it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and gone,” said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, ‘We do not quite understand what changed its worth.” Swift came the reply: “The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin, Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on. “He is going” once, and “going twice, He’s going and almost gone.” But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.

As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians, he mentions two persons who had experienced the touch of the Master’s hand in their lives, and whose experience with Christ illustrate the difference that Christ makes in every life that is surrendered to Him.

1. Tychicus - from nobody to somebody - vs. 7-8

The Bible mention Tychicus five times: here, Acts 20:4, Ephesians 6:21, 2 Timothy 4:12, and Titus 3:12. He likely was born and raised in Ephesus and found Christ under Paul’s ministry there.

He became one of Paul’s traveling companions. When Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, Tychicus was one of the seven who accompanied him (Acts 20:4). When Paul was arrested, Tychicus stayed with Paul through his arrest and imprisonment in Caesarea, his appearances before kings and governors, his voyage and shipwreck on the way to Rome, and his time in Rome awaiting trial.

Paul chose him to travel as his messenger back to the churches of Asia. Tychicus was charged with two duties. First. to deliver Paul’s letters: one to the Colossians, another to Philemon, a slave owner in Colossae, another to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:21), and a letter that has been lost to us to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16). His second duty was to update the churches in Asia about Paul’s situation.

Titus 3:12 and 2 Timothy 4:12 confirm that Tychicus performed this humble function of delivering Paul’s messages throughout the apostle’s life and ministry. He left no writings that survived. He did no feats that were thought worth preserving by Luke in Acts. We learn three things about him here.

First, he was a dear brother. He was greatly loved by Paul and others who knew him. This is no small thing. Many kings and presidents and senators never accomplish this in life.

Second, he was a faithful minister. There is no hint of his being a great thinker or orator, but only a servant. But that is a title assumed by the Lord himself, which put Tychicus in pretty good company. It’s been said that “one of the greatest abilities for a person to possess is dependability.” Tychicus was a dependable man.

Third, he was a fellow servant in the Lord. This term expressed an equality between Paul and Tychicus. It is almost as if Paul said. “Don't think because I wrote the letter and Tychicus is delivering it that I am better than he. We are both servants of the same Lord, and as such, our contributions to the kingdom are of equal worth.

We learn three lessons from the example of Tychicus.

1. There is no insignificant thing done in service to Christ.

What would be the use of Paul writing a letter if it never was delivered? What would be the use of Paul’s powerful truths shared in the opening chapters of this book or its compelling applications if no one ever read it? As the old proverb expresses it: