What does he mean by “the God of peace”? Jesus promised that wars will be with us until he comes again. None of the apostles was a pacifist. It is true that Paul uses the word “peace” earlier in the letter for “peace with God” that we enter by faith in Christ. We are no longer God’s enemies, but his children. Notice, however, that this is not a statement of fact: “the God of peace will be with you”, but a prayer “may the God of peace be with you”. This is something Paul prays for and has devoted much of his letter to promoting. It is the peace between factions in the church with differing convictions and scruples. It is peace between different races, in this case between Jewish and non-Jewish believers. The success of the gospel in the Roman empire would depend in large measure on the peaceful collaboration of believers from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, just as it does today in the world of the 21st century.
But this fervent desire expresses itself in these closing lines not just in the phrase “may the God of peace be with you.“ It is implicit in a very practical way in his singling out of his fellow Jews among the believers in Rome to receive his greeting. The NIV unfortunately translates these terms as “relatives”, ESV as “kinsmen”. But what is meant is “fellow Jews” (Andronicus and Junia in v. 7, Herodian in v. 11, ).
Since it would have been well known in the Roman house churches that these people were Jews, Paul would not under ordinary circumstances have needed to mention their race. By going out of his way to call them “my fellow Jews” he again stresses his solidarity with the Jewish people and the importance of respecting Jewish believers. Might there already have been a vicious notion circulating that all Jews were “Christ-killers”? If so, Paul would want to scotch that quickly.
Paul doesn’t call attention to the Jewishness of every Jew whom he greets in this passage. Priscilla and Aquila (v. 3) were Jews. But he implies their Jewishness when he writes “all the churches of the gentiles are grateful to them” (v. 4). By these words, he implies that all gentile believers should feel gratitude to the Jewish people for the Messiah (Romans 9-11).
16:1-2 Paul has something commendatory to add about virtually every named person in this section. We can start with Phoebe, who apparently brought the letter from Greece. Paul wrote it in Cenchrea, where Phoebe lived and was an active Christian. Paul calls her a “servant of the church” —the word translated “servant” is diakonos, the same word translated in other places as “deacon”. But does this imply an office? Some would argue that it does, since the word is not feminine, which one might expect if it simply meant a servant-like woman. But others suggest that it indicates a well-to-do patron or sponsor of the local church in Cenchrea. Galatians 2:17 reads as follows in the NIV:
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
Well, if you read this verse in another translation you would see that Christ was described either as the “servant of sin” (ESV) or the “minister of sin” (KJV, NASB). The word translated there (Greek diakonos) is the same word used in Romans 16 of Phoebe. It means “sponsor”, or—in the language of international business—“facilitator”—someone who does whatever it takes to encourage the success of another person or an enterprise. Paul denied in Galatians 2:17 that by saving us without requiring good works to earn it Christ was facilitating or encouraging sinful behavior.
In Romans 13:4 Paul describes any Roman officer of the court as God’s “facilitator” (Greek diakonos), who by enforcing just laws against murder, theft, etc., helps us to live the way God wishes us to. In Romans 15:8 he describes Jesus himself as a facilitator (diakonos, NIV 'servant') to the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, confirming the promises made to the patriarchs, and making it possible for them to believe and enter the promised kingdom.
Phoebe too was a “facilitator”—using her time, talents and wealth to enable the believers in Cenchrea and in Rome to fulfill their God-given calling. In v. 2 Paul calls her a “patron” (ESV, “a great help” NIV) of many including himself. The Greek word prostatis, translated “patron” here, implies providing financial and legal support. Phoebe not only had wealth, but “connections”, which she had used in the past to help Paul himself.
She traveled to Rome on this occasion not only to deliver Paul’s letter, but on personal business. Some scholars believe that, since the literal translation of v. 2 (obscured in both the ESV and NIV) is “I ask you … to assist her in any way she requires in (her) task”, and the Greek word rendered “task” (pragma) is used elsewhere by Paul for a lawsuit, Phoebe may have needed the influence of local Christians in achieving her ends in a courtroom appearance. Although she had powerful connections in Cenchrea, she had fewer in Rome, and might have needed some local help.
16:3-5a We have already mentioned Priscilla and Aquila. Paul here uses her formal name “Prisca”. In the Book of Acts, Luke used a familiar or nickname, Priscilla, which means “little Prisca”. We have no evidence for any time when they risked their lives for Paul. It has been guessed that this might have been at the time of the riots in Ephesus, part of which Luke tells us in Acts 19. The phrase “risked their neck” has so common an expression in later times, largely through this use of the idiom in the bible, that we often do not realize that in Paul’s day this wasn’t just a colloquialism for risking one’s life in general, but was a specific allusion to risking execution—putting the neck on the chopping block, as it were.
Paul uses the term “my beloved” of several persons whom he greets (Epaenetus in v. 5, Ampliatus in v. 8, Stachys in v. 9, and Persis in v. 12). Although elsewhere in this letter he calls all the believers there “beloved” (1:7; 12:19), he seems to single out only a few in these greetings. What might he mean? The NIV is inconsistent in paraphrasing these examples in ch. 16, sometimes translating “my dear friend”, at other times “whom I love in the Lord”. Certainly, any show of favoritism would not go over well with his hearers.
Seventeen times in verses 3-16 Paul asks his hearers to “greet” someone. The last time (v. 16) he urges that they “greet one another with a holy kiss”. This seems to indicate that he wished some concrete display of love to be shown publicly in the house churches. In the Middle East today friends greet each other with a double kiss, one on each cheek. J. B. Phillips paraphrased it in a way culturally more fitting for the modern western world when he wrote “give each other a hearty handshake all around”. But of course this overlooks the fact that a good hug is also acceptable, especially among those of the same sex. However this public greeting was to be realized, the point was that it was not a gesture given lightly, but was reserved for those who truly love each other in Christ.
After the long section of greetings to Roman Christians, in vv. 17-20, Paul has some closing advice. Here he finds it necessary to warn them about persons he is aware of whose behavior and teaching are hostile to the purposes of unity in faith and love. Their primary characteristic is that they encourage divisions. Keep in mind that the Romans believers met in several house churches. There was always the danger that they would fail to maintain unity and constant fellowship between the individual churches. Paul doesn’t specify the behavior or teaching that constituted the threat, but we can be sure that it was something that the teaching in this letter was aimed at correcting: either a works-based or law-based salvation or the very opposite: the attitude that “I can do anything I want now that Christ has forgiven me”—an attitude that goes along with the despising of fellow believers with scruples against such behavior. If mutual love and understanding characterized the “peace of Christ”, then these people were the “disturbers of the peace”. Paul characterizes their method as “smooth talk and flattery” in v. 18. His advice “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (v. 19) sounds like a paraphrase of Jesus words “be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves”. And if so, then the wise as serpents reminds Paul that Satan is the great Serpent, whom Christ will crush under their feet “soon” (v. 20).
After another section of greetings sent to Rome by Paul’s Christian friends who know and are known by the Roman churches (v. 21-24), he reaches the end. Final words. God is able to establish them by the gospel that Paul and the other apostles preach, and which they all must focus on bringing to the nations. To this God will all the glory be forever through Jesus the Messiah.
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