Redeemed, Reconciled,
and Rejected!
The story of transformation in Paul’s concluding remarks in Colossians 4: 9-10, 14.
Let’s be honest, how many of us actually read Paul’s concluding remarks at the end of the epistles? That’s what I thought. Paul is taking care of some family business two thousand years ago with people we don’t know, and we think it doesn’t matter to us.
Coupled with this, I think we are used to viewing New Testament characters as fairly static, for the most part. There isn’t as much story-telling or character development. But I want to suggest that, in Paul’s closing remarks, we get a picture of God working in the early church and we see that Jesus was transforming them as He is transforming us now!
Onesimus
...and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. (Col. 4:9)
Okay, so Paul tells the Colossians to greet Onesimus. Big deal right, he’s just another name. That is, until you read Philemon and realize that Onesimus’ name crops up there too. In fact, he is one of the primary characters in Philemon.
Onesimus was a lazy slave, pretty much good for nothing, “serving” his master, Philemon. Well, one day, he runs away to Rome. While he is there he runs into Paul and becomes a Christian! Paul writes to Philemon and tells him to accept Onesimus back.
Fast forward to the writing of Colossians and who appears but Onesimus himself. But this time, Paul isn’t making any apologies for him, he calls him a faithful and beloved brother! So Onesimus has been transformed from a lazy, good -for-nothing employee to a young man whom Paul finds helpful in his work of preaching and spreading the Gospel! We see a story of someone who was redeemed from death to life!
Mark
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him)... (Col. 4:10)
Now we are introduced to two new characters, the one that should stand out is Mark. If you have read the book of Acts, you will have seen his name come up there too, specifically in 15:37ff. Barnabas, Paul’s close companion who had travelled with him everywhere, wanted to bring Mark along with them on their missionary journey. Paul was against it because Mark had flaked out earlier and left them when times got hard. Barnabas and Paul disagreed about this so much, that they split and Barnabas took Mark with him and Paul took Silas with him.
In Colossians Paul seems to be suggesting that things between him and Mark are now on good terms and Mark, far from flaking out when things get tough, is actually in prison with Paul!
Now, fast forward to Paul’s second letter to Timothy and his praise for Mark grows, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). Mark has been reconciled to Paul and was transformed to be an integral part of Paul’s team.
Demas
Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. (Col. 4:14)
Along with encouragement, there is also warning. Demas was a part of Paul’s crew, he was hanging with him in jail and seemed, from every appearance, to be committed to the cause. Paul apparently thought so. But we read later on, “...Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica” (2 Tim. 4:10).
Demas started out well, but he didn’t finish. He was even pretty involved with ministry, but he didn’t guard his heart and was lured away from Christ by the things of this world and succumbed to godliness.
So there actually is a lot to learn from those concluding remarks of Paul’s. We aren’t just presented with meaningless names of faceless people, but Jesus shows us through the New Testament that He is working on people and transforming them into His image by the Holy Spirit. These lists should not bore us, they should encourage us and, like all of Scripture, help us to see King Jesus more clearly.
