Greet Mary, who worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

–Parallel Verses:
I Peter 1:22 – Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
I Peter 4:8 – Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

I find it interesting that Paul spends most of the last chapter greeting people by name. I think there are multiple reasons he does this. First and foremost, he deeply loved many people in Rome. This is clear. The Bible says that true love comes from God, so the only way he can deeply love so many people is because he loved God deeply too. They are necessarily connected. Second, he is listing out their good works, their efforts in the faith. This is one, to recognize them, two, to encourage others to go for it with their faith, and three, to set them up as models for others to follow. Among these Christians, we find a prison mate, those who have undergone testing and have been proven and approved in Christ, those who worked very hard to support the spreading of the gospel, a woman who was like a mother to Paul, and lots of other friends.

What I take from all of these greetings is that the Apostle Paul was well supported by many people in his ministry and the spreading of the gospel, and he was humble enough to recognize them. He was extremely encouraged by their faith and effort, and it carried him through the hard times with energy and confidence and motivation.

So today, we must ask ourselves, what roles will we play in the Kingdom Work of God. Will we support and encourage and actively work to the benefit of others, who are sharing God’s Word? Will we, as we serve in humility, recognize those who have blessed us along the way? This is the model Paul sets out and it is a great one to live by!

Lord, please help me to be excellent at recognizing the great contributions of those around me. You have given me so many to bless me! All I am able to accomplish is through you and furthered on by their amazing support! Praise and glory to your name for bringing together so many sinners saved by grace and using us broken people to restore the lives of others!