You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, …
Summary: Little is known about Epaphras, but Paul gives us enough clues to draw a revealing sketch of the man.
Almost all we know about Epaphras the man comes from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Most of that information is found in today’s verse. This is important information. The picture we have of the early days of Christianity is adequate, but there is always the tantalizing suspicion that there is much more to know.
For example, Paul tells us that the Colossians learned about the Gospel from Epaphras. He also tells us Epaphras is a “minister of Christ on our behalf.” This suggests that Epaphras had learned the Gospel from Paul and had gone out from Paul as a missionary to Colossae.
Is that true?
The answer to that question is “maybe.”
The Greek text is written in such a way that about half of the English translations of this verse read like the King James Version:
“As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;”
For the sake of discussion, let’s lean on the NIV translation and think of Epaphras as someone who was sent out by Paul to bring the Gospel to Colossae.
Why would Paul send Epaphras?
For one thing, Paul considers Epaphras “faithful.” He trusted Epaphras to convey the “true message of the gospel” (Colossians 1:5) without embellishment or omission.
A second qualification that Epaphras had was his attitude about serving. Paul calls him a “dear fellow servant.” Servanthood can be hard to understand because Paul is often seen as demanding and commanding in his letters. Yet, in all of his writings, Paul never strays from the commission given to him by Jesus.
Like officers in the army, servants have different levels of authority. Paul has authority given to him by Jesus, but this authority is never to be used for personal reasons. The authority of those who carry the Gospel must always be employed in the service of the Gospel. Like Paul, Epaphras knows this. Paul calls him “faithful” because Epaphras knows his place, just like Paul does. Both are servants of our Lord Jesus.
Application: Strive to be called “faithful” like Paul and Epaphras.
Food for Thought: What temptations are common to a servant of the Gospel?
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