I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

--Parallel verses:
Mark‬ ‭10:24-27‬
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

I have always read the above cross reference as only a type of “judgment verse” on the rich, in general. It is that; but it also is an acknowledgement of the difficult path of being rich and being a true follower of God. I believe this is what Paul is pointing out to the Romans about Phoebe. She was a benefactor. She had wealth. And she used it for the benefit of the churches of God. So, the question may come to mind, how is being rich hard? I would love to be rich! Well, consider that if you are giving large sums to others to bless them, but still managing the resources God has given you in multiple businesses or investments, that can be difficult. There might be a good many employees that rely on your decisions in business for their very livelihoods.

Then there are the many different opportunities to give, and having to sort and pick out the areas God is wanting you to give into. Finally, the rich must hang out in circles with those that are the “greedy rich” at times, and there is the constant temptation to hoard or keep their riches to themselves. In short, the “godly rich” have placed on themselves some very unique challenges that many of us don’t have to deal with. So when Jesus says it is harder for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than a camel to enter the “eye of a needle” (which was a few foot high gate into a wall), he is not only acknowledging that many rich will fail in this, but also that those rich who are godly, have had a very challenging course counteracting the enticements of wealth with the truth of God’s word and managing their wealth to the benefit of God’s church. Also note, in a society that tended to reduce the impact of women, Phoebe was a Deacon in the church, a
leader among her peers. Paul is sending one of his best and brightest disciples to love on and benefit his brothers and sisters in Rome because he loves them and wants to bless them.

How can I better use my riches for the Kingdom of God? How can I take the model of Phoebe’s life and apply it to mine?

Lord, thank you that you use us where we are and with the gifts we have. You multiple their impact. Take my relative wealth and use it to bless others more and more, I pray. Help me to always look to be more generous!