God's Servants, Great and Small

July 2nd, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 16:21-23 Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother.

In vv. 21-23 Paul now sends greetings from those who are with him in Corinth where he wrote. Timothy is the first mentioned, whom Paul calls “my fellow worker.” A protégé of Paul, this young man joined Paul and Silas on Paul’s second mission (Acts 15:40-18:21). Having traveled to Philippi with Timothy, Paul reminded the church about him: “You know of his proven worth that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father” (Phil. 2:22). To the Corinthians and the Thessalonians, Paul commended, praised, and gave thanks for Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10-11; 1 Thess. 3:2), and in the two letters he wrote to Timothy, Paul commended him numerous times. Timothy was, in short, a faithful friend to Paul.

The second greeting from Lucius could be the man from Cyrene in Acts 13:1, listed among the prophets and teachers in Antioch of Syria. Possibly he was among the Jewish Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene who preached to the Gentiles in Antioch in the face of persecution (Acts 11:19-21). It is possible that Lucius could in fact be Luke, the Gospel writer, who accompanied Paul on many of his journeys, referenced throughout the Book of Acts. Elsewhere, Paul called Luke “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) but spelled his name Lukios (2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24). Or, it could be that Lucius (v. 21) was the preferred spelling of Tertius, Paul’s secretary in v. 22.

The third and fourth greetings are from Jason and Sosipater whom Paul calls “my kinsmen.” Jason was a Jewish believer in Thessalonica who hosted Paul in his home, and who, as a result, was called before the city officials on charges of sedition (Acts 17:1, 5-9). Sopater (short for Sosipater) might be the same man referenced in Acts 20:4-6 from Berea, a cohort of Paul who met him at Troas after he left Ephesus. Since the Bereans “were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica,” Sopater was highly regarded by Paul among their congregants (Acts 17:10-12).

A fifth greeting was from Tertius who was Paul’s secretary, or amanuensis, the transcriber of Romans. Utilizing a secretary was common for Paul and others of ancient literature, yet Paul did write with his own pen on occasion, specifying so when he did (cf. 1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11). He did so at times when the authenticity of the authorship of his epistles demanded it.
A sixth greeting came from Gaius who was hosting Paul as well as an entire church in Achaia where Paul wrote Romans. Gaius was among the believers in Corinth of Achaia who came to faith in Christ through Paul’s preaching and was one of the two men in that church whom Paul had personally baptized (cf. 1 Cor. 1:14). Some have speculated that Gaius is the same as “Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue” in Corinth (Acts 18:7). If so, his full Roman name would have been Gaius Titius Justus.

A seventh greeting was from Erastus, the city treasurer in Corinth. Erastus, a slave name, must have been a man of high regard and of political importance to have held such an office. His was a common name in those days, so he may not be the same Erastus mentioned in Acts 19:22 or 2 Timothy 4:20. A final greeting came from Quartus of whom nothing is known.

Food For Thought
From Timothy, of which much is known, to Quartus, of which nothing is known, all of us are variously known and have differing roles in God’s Kingdom. While some become famous, most of us remain anonymous. Yet God knows all of us! We all have a role to play, a task to fulfill on God’s earth and in God’s Kingdom. May we serve faithfully with our time and gifts.