All Paths Lead to Rome

Paul is not a lone pioneer whose ministry consumes him to the exclusion of people. He delights in the fellowship of others. His address book seems to have been full of people who had moved to Rome. He can expect reunion with them when he gets there, and they can be a bridge to those members of the church who don’t know him. Several of them are noted as people who have been a particular help to Paul in his own ministry, and the details make us realize how much we don’t know about Paul’s life.

This is a wonderful glimpse of Christians who, for various reasons, were traveling around the Roman Empire. We see that there are men and women who are involved in proclaiming the Gospel, from Phoebe the traveling deacon (1) to the fellowship groups/house churches throughout Rome (3,14,15). Some are fellow Jews, but many are Gentile converts. Some have suffered for the Gospel and others are noted for their hard work. Their names would seem to indicate the different social backgrounds from which they came. Paul’s call to mutual love in the previous chapter was building on the solid basis of a multicultural congregation. We can now understand why Paul was so confident that he only needed to remind them of these things (Rom. 15:15). These were very experienced Christians who are now playing a part in the Rome congregation.

Passages like this help us anchor the message of the New Testament in the realities of first-century life. Those to whom the letters were addressed were living people with rich and varied lives. They sacrificed for the Gospel alongside Paul, and it is because of their faithfulness that the message eventually came to us for our salvation. Without them, we might not even have this letter to the Romans.

There are different patterns of friendship. We can learn here from Paul that friendship thrives on appreciation and mutuality. Evaluate your own friendships and restore any that need attention.