Introduction

Finally we come to the concluding portion of Colossians. This is also the biggest segment that we will attempt to bite off at one time. So let us get started right away.

Prayer, Conduct, and Speech

Paul first instructs the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer. Paul started the letter with an assurance that he was praying for the Colossians. Now he asks them to pray for his ministry. He specifically asks that he would be released from prison so that he can continue to proclaim the mystery of Christ. Mystery is a main theme of Colossians, as we have seen, and it refers to Christ as both the one who reveals God’s hidden purposes and the one who, interestingly enough, happens to be God’s hidden purpose.

Now, lest the Colossians think that the work of evangelism is Paul’s and theirs is simply to pray, Paul goes on in vv. 5-6 to tell them how to relate to non-Christians. They are to redeem the time. Greek has two words for time: crovnoı, which refers to measured time, and kairovı, which refers to significant time or opportune time. Paul uses the latter here. He is telling the Colossians to grab every opportunity to be involved with non-Christians in both deed and word.

The Couriers

Paul concludes the letter, as he does most of his letters, with a few personal remarks, mentioning a few people personally. Paul first mentions Tychicus, who happens to be the person who carried the letter to Colossae. But he is more than a letter bearer. He is also commissioned to tell the Colossians how Paul was faring. Paul did not send Tychicus alone but sent Onesimus with him. Now from Philemon we know that Onesimus was Philemon’s slave who had run from Philemon. Paul probably sent Onesimus with the letter to Philemon. Tychicus was most probably supposed to guard Onesimus from the possible anger of Philemon. Here too, as in Philemon, Paul stresses that, though Onesimus is a slave, he is a brother in Christ.

Paul’s Team

Paul then mentions the people who were currently in his team. Aristarchus was imprisoned along with Paul. Mark, however, was still on the lose, as it were. He had probably gone into hiding, which is why Paul is unsure about whether Mark would go to Colossae or not. Mark is referred to as Barnabas’ cousin. Now Barnabas was a well respected Christian. So, by mentioning this important relationship that Mark has to the prominent and respected Barnabas, Paul is attempting to ensure that the Colossians would actually welcome Mark wholeheartedly. Jesus called Justus was also a member of Paul’s team. He is not mentioned elsewhere so we actually know nothing more than his name. Paul mentions that these three are “of the circumcision”. We saw earlier that the challenges face by the Colossians came from Jewish circles. By mentioning these three, Paul assures the Colossians that there were Jews who approved and supported and were involved actively with his Gentile mission.

Paul then mentions Epaphras, who was a Colossian who had first brought the gospel to Colossae. One would expect Epaphras to be mentioned first. However, Paul also want to reassure the Colossians that his ministry is not antithetical to the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith. Hence, he places his Jewish partners first. Epaphras, however, does head the list of Gentiles. He is described as a great intercessor for the Colossians and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul then briefly mentions Luke and Demas. Luke is called the beloved physician. No description is given for Demas. In 2 Tim 4.10 Paul writes “Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me.” It is quite likely that, even when Paul wrote Colossians, there was some conflict between him and Demas.

Greetings

Paul now greets people at or around Colossae. First, he greets the Christians at Laodicea. He also instructs the Colossians to send their letter to the church at Laodicea and to read the letter he sent to the Laodiceans. This indicates the close connection between the churches in the two cities.

Paul next greets Nympha, who is the host of a house church. That the house is described as being hers means that she was either widowed or unmarried. Or, possibly, she was married but her husband was not a Christian. In any case, Nympha has means enough to have a house big enough to host a house church which, from archeological evidence, might have been large enough to host upto about fifty people. No other house church is mentioned. So it is quite likely that there was only one house church in Colossae. Since no male is mentioned in connection with this house church, Nympha probably was the leader of it.

Finally, Paul has a word for Archippus who is mentioned in the letter to Philemon as one of the recipients. He was probably Philemon’s son. Here Paul issues a command to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received from the Lord.” Archippus is also mentioned in 2 Corinthians. He was probably a member of Paul’s team. However, at the time Paul wrote Colossians, Archippus was at Colossae with a task he had received from the Lord. The phrase is enigmatic. However, the most satisfactory explanation is that Paul had sent Archippus to Colossae, before writing Colossians and Philemon, with the commission to persuade his father Philemon to free the slave Onesimus so that he could be a member of Paul’s team.