¹⁹Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. ²¹Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. ²²The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

No less important are the closing greetings of Paul’s letters. Some people mentioned here, like Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia, are found nowhere else in the Bible, and we know virtually nothing about them except what we can glean from this passage. But which of us wouldn’t be thrilled to be named in Scripture like this? God is interested in people, even those who are not famous or who otherwise seem insignificant. And we all as believers have our names “written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27). No one escapes the divine Author’s penmanship.

We can see from Paul’s letter endings his wide circle of associates. The first three reside in Ephesus, and of all his acquaintances there, these merit special recognition. Prisca and Aquila, of course, were coworkers going back to his days in Corinth, fellow tentmakers as they were (Acts 18:1–2). They traveled with Paul to Ephesus, where they remained when Paul moved on (Acts 18:18–19). While there, they had instructed Apollos “the way of God more accurately,” and Apollos then went on to be powerfully used by the Lord in Corinth (Acts 18:27–28, 1 Cor. 3:4–6). That the two were close coworkers with Paul is evident in that they were with him when he sent greetings to the Roman (Rom. 16:3) and Corinthian (1 Cor. 16:19) believers. So now, the apostle asks Timothy to give his greetings to them.

Erastus seems to have been an associate of Timothy’s (Acts 19:22), and if he is the same person named in Romans 15:23, his background was as a city treasurer. Paul notes he left Erastus sick in Miletus, but beyond that we know little about him. Such a historical note certainly adds the flavor of authenticity to this letter.

Paul repeats his request for Timothy to come to him soon (2 Tim. 4:9), but now adds, “[C]ome before winter.” His requested coat (2 Tim. 4:13) would be needed to help fend off the cold.

Now, we see from the greetings Paul sent to the last four mentioned individuals that Paul was not completely without companionship, even though the more prominent members of his entourage were not with him. He appreciated them all and includes them by name. Finally, in characteristic fashion, Paul ends with, “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”

Lord, You know me by name, and that makes me significant in Your eyes.