²⁷ For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. ²⁹ Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; ³⁰ because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

Not one to give up easily, Epaphroditus continued in his service alongside Paul even when sick. Another disciple, John Mark, bailed out on an earlier mission (Acts 13:13) and Paul refused to take him along on the next one: “But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him [John] along who had deserted them … and had not gone with them to the work” (Acts 15:38). But, Epaphroditus was called by Paul, “my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier” (Phil 2:25). He would have stayed on task, except that Paul insisted he go back to the Christians who had sent him to work with the apostle.

Obviously Epaphroditus was healed of his ailment and Paul saw this as a tremendous mercy on both Epaphroditus and himself. Had he died, Paul would have been plunged into deep grief. Therefore, upon his healing, he sent Epaphroditus back home, so that his sending church could rejoice with him. It may be that convalescence was in mind as well.

Lest they think Epaphroditus was a quitter, Paul wrote them the reason he was sending him back: 1) that the Philippians might rejoice over him 2) that Paul would be relieved of his concern over the Philippians’ anxiety for Epaphroditus, and 3) that they would take the occasion to highly regard Epaphroditus and others like him who risked their lives in service of the Lord.

One thinks of the many who have left all to serve the Lord around the world. They have suffered illness and even death due to lack of adequate medical care. Some have died alone at the hands of persecutors. All have abandoned the comforts of home and warm support of family. Most are unsung and have had no books written about their lives. Many are forgotten, except in the annals of God’s mind.

We should make every effort to honor men and women like that. We so easily recognize when a young person makes the huge step of faith and leaves a promising career to serve as a missionary. But don’t forget the senior missionaries who are often long forgotten and living out their days in a sub-standard nursing home. They should be honored as well!