Colossians – Three Minute Bible

April 18, 2025April 17, 2025

Colossians 4:10 – Paul’s Time

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)

Summary: This verse provides a peek at life in Paul’s day and the people around him.

At some point, after reading the Bible enough times, a person begins to see things differently. Take Aristarchus, for example.

Paul casually mentions “my fellow prisoner,” Aristarchus. Instantly, questions come to mind: Who is Aristarchus? Why is he in prison with Paul? Where is he from?

Poking through the New Testament, we find a few clues.

Our primary source of information is Luke, the physician and historian. (If you are a fan of the first Star Trek series, Luke is the equivalent of Dr. McCoy and Spock in one person.)

Luke noted that Aristarchus is a “Macedonian from Thessalonica” (Acts 27:2). He also tells us about the time that a man named Gaius, along with Aristarchus, got caught up in a riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:29). If it hadn’t been for a quick thinking city clerk, Aristarchus’s career might have ended there (Acts 19:35).

Paul also mentions Mark and Barnabas. Mark, also known as John Mark (Acts 15:37) is thought to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Some also say that Mark was Peter’s son or close relative. In another letter, Paul tells us that Mark is the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).

Barnabas, the third name in this verse, is not with Paul when the letter to Colossae is written. Most likely, he is mentioned because he is known to the church at Colossae.

There is another interesting side note here. Paul’s letter indicates that an earlier letter was sent, or at least a message was sent. Instructions about Mark have already been forwarded to the church in Colossae. We can only guess at what it might have said. At the very least, it gives the impression that Paul was busy and in fairly constant communication with the churches.

Life in Paul’s day was very much like life today, only without all the electronics, cars, and airplanes. In some ways, it would feel very familiar. In others, probably very primitive. Through it all, God provided for Paul and the people around him. What an exciting time it must have been!

Application: Each of us has a role in God’s kingdom.

Food for Thought: Why do you think people like Aristarchus gave up their day jobs to hang out with Paul?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

April 17, 2025April 17, 2025

Colossians 4:9 – Redemption

He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

Summary: This passage introduces us to the subject of another letter Paul wrote which we know as “Philemon.” In the letter, we learn about Onesimus and his very interesting life story.

Obviously, traveling alone on foot over one thousand miles is not on the Triple AAA list of “Top Ten Safe Vacations.” Paul himself talks about fighting off “wild beasts” when he was in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32). He also mentions the dangers of traveling by sea (shipwrecks!), not to mention crossing rivers and dealing with roving bandits (2 Corinthians 11:26).

It took courage in those days to venture out, and if we knew nothing else about Tychicus other than he was willing to travel the world to carry a message to a distant church, we would know he was brave. But he didn’t go alone. Onesimus traveled with him.

April 16, 2025April 17, 2025

Colossians 4:8 – Tychicus’ Journey

Tychicus and two friends on the road to Colossae.

I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.

Summary: Paul is sending Tychicus on a mission. It is both exciting and challenging. More than carrying a letter for Paul, Tychicus is the letter.

Imagine the world Paul and Tychicus lived in!

In our world, we have phones, FaceTime, texts, mail, cars, buses, and airplanes. If you need to talk with someone who is a thousand miles away there are a lot of options.

April 15, 2025April 15, 2025

Colossians 4:7 – Paul’s Friend

Paul hands Tychicus a letter for the Colossians.

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

Summary: Paul mentions one of the men who will carry this letter to Colossae. His name is Tychicus.

I looked up how to pronounce Tychicus’s name, and I wish I hadn’t. I had imagined that it was a name that sounded cool, and now I found out that it is completely the opposite.

According to my source,* the real pronunciation sounds like someone saying “too” and then making a sound like coughing up a hairball, then “key,” and finally, “toss” only with a “k” instead of a “t.” (If you are serious about this kind of thing, the phonetic pronunciation is “too-khee-kos’.”)

April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

Colossians 4:6c – Knowing How

Picture of a man standing in a steel framed box with no walls. (Necker Cube)

[Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,] …so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Summary: Knowing how to answer everyone is both a gift and a skill. Paul’s final word of advice in his letter is that we should “know how to answer everyone.”

Perhaps you have seen one of those drawings that can be seen in different ways. For example, this first one is called a “Rubin Figure,” named after a Danish psychologist, Edgar Rubin.

April 12, 2025April 13, 2025

Colossians 4:6b – Salty Talk

Picture of salt being shaken out of a salt shaker.

[Let your conversation be]…seasoned with salt …

Summary: “Seasoned with salt” is a phrase that sounds interesting but lacks a connection with our modern world. Taking a look at the history of salt in biblical times might help us understand better what Paul meant.

Let’s begin this meditation with a question asked by Job many thousands of years ago:

“Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?” (Job 6:6, KJV) He goes on to say, “I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill.”

April 11, 2025April 11, 2025

Colossians 4:6a – Lessons in Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace …

Summary: Paul admonishes us to fill our conversations with outsiders with grace. While that sounds simple, understanding what grace means requires some reflection on our Lord Jesus.

This verse is important because it is the last verse of instruction in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Everything after this involves personal business. So, let’s savor what this last sentence has to offer.

The larger context of this passage is how we act towards “others.” My understanding of “others” in this context is people “other than” the believers who are already part of the church body. When Paul says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace …” he is talking about conversations with those who might need more grace.

April 9, 2025April 9, 2025

Colossians 4:5a – Wisdom

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders…

Summary: How we act towards people says a lot about us, and it says even more about who or what we serve.

Unsurprisingly, this passage follows the one before rather closely. To proclaim the Gospel clearly, we need to be “wise” in how we interact with others.

Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “Be wise in the way you talk to others.”

April 8, 2025April 9, 2025

Colossians 4:4 – A Cry for Help

Picture of a plane towing a banner that reads "JESUS SAVES"

Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

Summary: Communication is an art form. Over communicating can actually garble the message. Paul asks for prayer to ensure he speaks clearly.

As we look at this passage, the first question is, “What is ‘it’?” If we back up to verse 3, Paul is asking for prayer so “God may open a door for our message ….” The message, of course, is the Gospel (Colossians 1:3-6).

Paul follows up his request with our passage for this meditation. He wants to “proclaim it clearly.”