Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. 2 Timothy 4:21
A number of years ago, after I had been working in a distant city and had spent several Sundays with the Christians there, I received a letter from one of the local brethren. In the letter, he shared with me some information about several of the men who I had met. Because I had been there but a short time, I had to struggle to remember the men to whom he was referring. If I had been there long enough to know those men better, the letter would have meant more to me. As it was, they were just names. I don’t believe that was the case when Paul mentioned several people in Rome in his letter to Timothy.
These names in our text are just names to us, although scholars have speculated as to who they were. But they were more than just names to Timothy. He had been to Rome and had met these folks, and had spent some time with them. The mention of Eubulus in this letter would recall to Timothy the face of this dear man, and his most recent conversation with him. It was the same with the others mentioned here. Their greeting to him sent through Paul was very welcome. They were obviously doing well, and they were also in close contact with Paul, which would be of great comfort to Timothy. Paul would have mentioned these four folks specifically because he knew of Timothy’s acquaintance with them. And in Ephesus, so far from Rome, Timothy would be encouraged and cheered.
There is a saying that any Christian is delighted to see even another Christian’s dog. It’s true; there is a bond among the Lord’s people that does not exist anywhere else in the world. There are precious things that we share: love, hope, and a deep interest in the things of God. These things mean that even the mention of the name of another Christian who we know, or even know about, triggers a warm response in our hearts. Just as we are precious to our Lord, we are precious to each other. Think about the last time you were talking with someone in a different Assembly about the Christians in your home Assembly. You had no difficulty recalling names and relating key information about each person. This you did, not just from your memory, but from your heart. And you noted the affection in the other person’s voice as they spoke of those in their Assembly. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the precious fellowship we have with other believers.
Many of the names that we see in the Bible mean very little to us. But they meant much to those who wrote about them. And they meant enough to God to have them included in His Word. All the names of the Lord’s people should be precious to us, as ours should be to them. -Jim MacIntosh