One of the Occasional Series of Meditations
Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends.
And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.
And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Philippians 4:1-3
And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.
And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Philippians 4:1-3
Associations
Some names bring a particular thought with them. Martha and her pots.
How about these two?
Euodia and Syntyche
(you-OH-dee-uh) and (sin-TYE-ke) are only mentioned here. Paul commends them as hard workers - only Timothy receives this same high commendation, and he notes their salvation.
But when we remember them, it's for their fight.
Their Church
The church at Philippi is said to be the one that Got Everything Right. Unlike Paul's other letters, there is no criticism in the letter to the Philippians, only his pleading to these dearly loved sisters.
Everything was not right on the outside for these people - it was a poor district, hostile to the church, but they knew what it meant to be a church, to follow Jesus.
How About Us?
Paul's letter to the Philippians is upbeat. It contains the beloved words about thinking on excellent things, knowing that God will finish what He began in us, urging us to have the humble mind of Christ, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, leaving what is behind I press on toward what is ahead.
You are my joy. Stay true to the Lord.
How might all that sound to someone being convicted* of sin in their life?
However it arose, was Euodia & Syntyche's disagreement a small mar on the harmony of the church in Philippi, or was it the potential source of the church's downfall?
Notice that Paul, not usually hesitant to bring issues into the open, didn't consider the actual subject of their disagreement important enough to mention. The disagreement itself, however, may have been one of his twin main points of the letter. (The other was to thank them for sending him a gift. 4:10-20)
Keep your eye on the prize.
*"When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. . . When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears." John 16:8,13a
Link to an interesting, but lengthy article about Euodia & Syntyche, disagreements in the church, and Philippians on bible.org
You are my joy. Stay true to the Lord.
How might all that sound to someone being convicted* of sin in their life?
However it arose, was Euodia & Syntyche's disagreement a small mar on the harmony of the church in Philippi, or was it the potential source of the church's downfall?
Notice that Paul, not usually hesitant to bring issues into the open, didn't consider the actual subject of their disagreement important enough to mention. The disagreement itself, however, may have been one of his twin main points of the letter. (The other was to thank them for sending him a gift. 4:10-20)
What It's All About
I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11Keep your eye on the prize.
*"When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. . . When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears." John 16:8,13a
Link to an interesting, but lengthy article about Euodia & Syntyche, disagreements in the church, and Philippians on bible.org
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