Greetings To Friends
GREETINGS TO FRIENDS
COLOSSIANS 4:15-18
Paul concludes his letter with warm greetings and he is not too proud to ask for prayer for himself.
Paul now greets those whom he knew in Colossae and the neighboring towns. His contacts in the valley may date to the period of the third missionary journey when he traveled through Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23), the hinterland of Ephesus (Acts 19:1), on his way to the metropolis. The most natural route for him to have taken from Syria would have been through the Cilician gates to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Pisidian Antioch, Apamea, Colossae and Laodicea in the Lycus Valley, and down the Maeander to Ephesus. If this conjecture is accurate, it would indicate that Paul had personal contact with the Lycus region even though he had not conducted a mission there. The fact that he knows the members of Philemon’s household in Colossae (Philemon 1f.) and Nympha in Laodicea (4:15) supports this proposal. Nympha was a lady of sufficient wealth to possess a home large enough to have gatherings of the young church. (For other references to house churches see Acts 12:12; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Philemon 2.)
The reference to a Laodicean letter (4:16) has led to some suggestions. As early as the middle of the second century Marcion identified Ephesians as the letter to the church at Laodicea. The extensive parallel with Colossians lends support to that identification. Moreover, the praise of the congregation in Ephesians 1:15 and the statement of purpose for sending Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21f.) would be more appropriate in a letter addressed to a single community than in a circular letter. Alternate suggestions are that Philemon is the letter to which Paul refers or that reference is made to a letter sent to Laodicea by Epaphras, who had remained in prison with Paul.
Archippus was a member of Philemon’s household—presumably his son (Philemon 2). The undefined nature of his ministry invites thought. It is reasonable to suppose that when Epaphras left the Lycus Valley he entrusted the pastoral supervision of his churches to another man. If that man were Archippus, to whom he now sends a word of encouragement through Paul, the indirect manner in which the apostle addresses Archippus would be explained. The entire church is urged to encourage him to fulfill the temporary appointment he has received (4:17).
The final greeting in Paul’s hand (see also 2 Thessalonians 3:17) is combined with a touching allusion to his own circumstances as he asks to be remembered in prayer. The blessing occurs in a briefer form than elsewhere in Paul’s letters: “Grace be with you.”