Saturday Sisters: Phoebe

Faithful

Who was Phoebe anyway? This is the only place we hear of her in Scripture:

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church, which is at Cenchrea; Romans 16:1

The word translated "servant" is a very interesting one. Often it is "servant," as one who serves in a household. In other places, we see it as "minister," and used in reference to prominent men. In at least one place and version, the word "attendants" is used for the plural form. If you were to simply change Greek letters to English letters, you would get something like our word "deacon," and it's translated that way sometimes too.

Whichever way the word should be translated in this verse, whatever her station in life, we know that she served. Did she help Paul with hospitality? With nursing care when he was sick? Funds for his ministry?

However she served, she did it faithfully, and often, for many people. Paul recognized her as a capable, trustworthy woman.

She was the one he chose to deliver his masterwork, his letter to the church in Rome.

Because she served faithfully in humble and difficult tasks, she was entrusted with the great and dangerous job of delivering Paul's sublime summary of the Christian faith, his  letter to the Romans.