 "IN
LIVING COLOR"
Rev. Danny R. Hyde
Romans 16
Introduction
What’s a preacher and the Bible-reading Christian to do with a
list of names such as Romans 16? After reading 3 chapters on the
power of sin then 12 chapters on the power of the gospel to
justify and sanctify us from that sin, we might as well skip
chapter 16. After all, what relevance does an anti-climactic
list of first century names have for us today? But then we
remember our evangelical commitment to Paul’s words, “All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable…” (2 Tim. 3:16). The temptation for us who want to see Christ on every page of
Scripture is just to capitulate to the exemplaristic method of
interpretation and get “creative.” Instead of finding Christ in
this text and us in him, we focus in on Phoebe (v. 1) and
discuss the pros and cons of women as deaconesses. Or, maybe we
should put the emphasis upon the many women mentioned in this
text. We could then highlight Prisca (Priscilla) in verse 3 and
discuss how she applies to women’s Bible study leaders. As a
preacher, we could do this, combining character sketches with
just enough psychology to psycho-analyze our parishes. Yet, we
are ministers of the Word; that is, servants of what is already
written. All the creativity of Romans 16 is wholly due to the
Holy Spirit’s organic inspiration through Paul, using all his
gifts and talents in composing such a book as Romans. Another temptation for the Calvinist within us is to be really
Reformed and focus in on the phrase “chosen in the Lord” (v. 13)
and preach on the doctrine of election. Surely, this is how the
Reformed preacher should preach this text because that’s
important. And as shocking as it may seem, we are also tempted by our own
method of biblical exegesis in seeing the Scriptures as an
unfolding drama from creation and fall, to redemption and
re-creation. How is this a temptation? As I heard one Reformed,
redemptive-historical (Christ-centered) preacher say when he got
to this text in his series through Romans, “We’re going to skip
over these verses to get to ‘the good stuff’ in verse 20.” He
then went on to trace the biblical-theological development
between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman
throughout Scripture. Edifying as it was, it was still not
faithful to the entirety of the text. What are we looking for in Romans 16? In approaching this list
of names we ought to head the warning and advice of the
ancients. As the eloquent preacher John Chrysostom said in his
31st Homily on Romans, I think that many even of those who have the appearance of being
extremely good men, hasten over this part of the Epistle as
superfluous, and having no great weight in it. And I think that
the same befalls them in regard to the genealogy that is in the
Gospel. For because it is a catalogue of names, they think they
cannot get any great good from it. Yet the gold founders’ people
are careful even about the little fragments; while these pass
over even such great cakes of gold. That this then may not
befall them, what I have already said were enough to lead them
off from their listlessness. For that the gain even from this is
no contemptible one, we have shown even from what was said on a
former occasion, when we lifted up your soul by means of these
addresses. We will endeavor then to-day also to mine in this
same place. For it is possible even from bare names to find a
great treasure. Let us, then, mine for a few moments this part of the Word of
God to find its treasure, which is our precious Savior Jesus and
our salvation in him. Mining the List
In verses 1-2 we read of Phoebe. She was named after a Roman
goddess, giving us a window into her family past. Now, though,
Paul, the “minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” (Rom.
15:16), calls this former idolater (cf. 1:18ff) his “sister”
(Gk., adelphēn). And not only that, Phoebe also is his “patron”
(Gk., prostasis), that is, his partner in ministry because of
her generous financial support. So here is a woman, a Gentile,
and one who was “rich in this present age” (1 Tim. 6:17) who is
now a member of the family of God. Therefore Paul honors her by
mentioning her first. Then in verses 3-4 he mentions Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila.
This wife and husband were Jewish believers in Jesus as the
Messiah and of whom we read in Acts 18:26 as catechizing Apollos,
who was “competent in the Scriptures” (i.e., the Old Testament).
Their devotion to the Christ of the Old Testament and his
servant Paul is evidenced in Paul’s gratitude that they “risked
their necks for my life.” So it is with those who have been
adopted into God’s family and have become brothers and sisters
in the Lord. He also speaks of some more of his “kinsman”
according to the flesh in verse 7, who had become his spiritual
kinsman with the Jewish believers Andronicus and Junia. Verse 9 makes mention of Stachys, of whom we know nothing. Yet
his name, Greek for “ear of corn,” most likely speaks to his
livelihood as a farmer of some sort. This is not something that
stands out, as the overwhelming majority of people in the first
century made their living through agriculture. Then we see in
verses 8, 9, 14, and 15 that Paul lists those named Ampliatus,
Urbanus, Hermas, Philologus, and Julia. What’s so important
about them? These are all common first century slave names. As
we mine this text, then, we begin to see its treasure as
Christ’s concern for ordinary ones such as these is evident.
More on this in a moment. On the contrary, in verse 11 the apostle greets Herodian, surely
no ordinary person but a member of Herod the Great’s household.
Thus Paul’s “priestly service of the gospel” (15:16) was to
offer up as an acceptable sacrifice “sanctified by the Holy
Spirit” (15:16) both the poor and aristocrats who by faith
trusted in Jesus the Messiah and Kyrios. And speaking of those
in powerful places, Paul speaks of Narcissus (v. 11), whom
history speaks of as a rich, powerful freedman who was known to
be influential n Claudius Caesar’s day. Finally, we make mention of Rufus (v. 13). Traditionally he has
been known as the son of Simon of Cyrene, the man who bore our
Lord’s cross. Harvesting the Treasure
So we’ve mined most of these names, seeking to see who they were
from other parts of Scripture, from their names linguistically,
as well as some historical background. “Ok, but what’s the
treasure in this exercise?” Keep in mind that Romans 16 was not
some afterthought tacked onto the end of the scroll upon which
Paul penned Romans. Instead, chapter 16 is intimately interwoven
with the overall theme of the book Romans mentioned in chapter
1. The main thrust of Paul’s argument is to demonstrate the
power of the Gospel. As he says in the introduction to this
epistle, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous
shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17; emphasis added). Romans 16 is the only fitting conclusion Paul could have written
to these words, as chapter 1:16-17 finds its illustration in
living color in our list of obscure names. What Paul says is
that the good news of Jesus is for all humanity, it is for
“everyone who believes.” This is why he appeals to Habakkuk 2:4
to demonstrate that salvation is by faith, not ethnicity,
religious rites, or rank in society. This is the blessing of the
Holy Spirit, who declared the Son, “Son-of-God-in-power” (Rom.
1:4) and is now intruding the Father’s heavenly verdict of
sonship upon us who believe in the Son, who formerly were not
his sons. Keep in mind also that Paul has spent almost 3 chapters laying
to waste all human pride and boasting in works. In chapter 3 he
said, “Both Jews and Greeks, are under sin” (Rom. 3:9). He then
followed that up in chapter 4, saying, “And to the one who does
not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
counted as righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). And he has called on all
who call upon Christ to live in gratitude by welcoming one
another and loving one another (chs. 12-14). All are guilty, all
who have faith in Christ partake of heavenly grace, and those
transformed by that grace are to live in gratitude, peace, and
love, the fruits of the age to come. A Hymn of Praise for the Gospel
Romans 16, then, is Paul’s hymn of praise to the sovereign power
of God’s in grace to save anyone who is “in” the first Adam by
rescuing them by the merits of the second Adam (cf. 5:12ff).
Christ “fell” into the grave on account of our sins, that we who
fell in Adam might be raised with him in newness of life (ch.
6). This chapter is a testimony, a memorial, a stone of
remembrance to all coming generations of what God is able to do
– and what he has done! Salvation is memorialized here in living
color! What kinds of people is God able to save? What kinds of people
does he save? For whom did Christ die? Upon and in whom does the
Holy Spirit do his irresistible work of making alive? The known – Rufus, son of Simon of Cyrene; the unknown – who is
Asyncritus?; the Jew – Andronicus and Junia; the Gentile –
Ampliatus, Apelles; the slave – Urbanus, Philologus; the free –
Narcissus; the rich – Phoebe; the poor – Julia; the aristocrat –
Herodian; the farmer – Stachys; the powerful – Narcissus; the
weak – Hermas; men – Aquila, Epaenetus; women – Prisca,
Tryphaena, Tryphosa. God saves the helpless. God saves those who thought they were
able to save themselves. This is why I do not need to make this
text “relevant” or “creative,” because this text describes you!
I do not need to “translate” this text into your culture because
here you are, unadorned! A Hymn of Praise for Redemptive History
While finding in this text the power of the gospel in the lives
of real people both in the first century and now, we realize
that what Paul is describing is the very gospel that was
proclaimed by Israel’s prophets. We see here in this list, and
in our lives, the overwhelming facts of the history of
redemption: It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of
the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the
mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills, and all the
nations shall flow to it (Isa. 2:2). In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that
speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of
hosts…In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the
midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its
border. And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians,
and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship
with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD
and perform them. And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and
healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to
their pleas for mercy and heal them. In that day there will be a
highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt,
and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the
Assyrians…“Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of
my hands, and Israel my inheritance” (Isa. 19:18a-19, 21-23,25). For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
(John 3:16). For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly (Rom. 5:6). And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the
scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your
blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language
and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). All these texts of promise and fulfillment are evidence that
upon us “the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). We also
find here illustrated in living color those prophecies which saw
a day in which not only the nations, but specifically the
outcasts, the lame, the weak, the unclean, the enemy would come
to the LORD of Israel: In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and
gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have
afflicted; and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who
were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over
them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore (Mic.
4:6-7). For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a
pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD
and serve him with one accord…But I will leave in your midst a
people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of
the LORD…Behold, at that time I will deal with all your
oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and
I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the
earth (Zeph. 3:9, 12, 19). Where is the gold in this text? Where is the treasure found?
It’s in the power of the gospel to save – anyone!
A Hymn of Praise for the Glory of the
Church
Romans 16 is also a hymn of praise for Zion’s beauty, the
glorious splendor of Christ’s Church here on earth. Rome was a
microcosm of the Church militant as sinners were saved by grace
in order to serve. We see here that new temple of which Peter speaks, in which each
“living stone” (1 Pet. 2:5) from all spectrums of life, adding
their multi-faceted colors and hues to that colony of heaven we
call the Church. We see here that new humanity of which Paul, in which Jew and
Gentile, slave and free, become the one new man. We see here that new family out of all the families of the
earth, in which those who by nature are haters of their
neighbors now greet each other, as verse 16 says, with a “holy
kiss.” The gospel of sovereign grace is illustrated here, and thus we
are called in gratitude to be this church in the midst of a
dark, fallen, broken world. The world needs this message of a
mighty Savior who saves anyone and everyone who calls upon his
name. The world needs us to be this new humanity with a new
family life. This is the message of Romans 16, which shows the
gospel in living color. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. Rev. Daniel R. Hyde
Pastor
Oceanside United Reformed Church
Oceanside, CA
|
|
Preaching Christ: Audios
Revelation 7:9-12
Rev. Zach Keele, '03
Rev. Owen Y. Lee, '00
Genesis 18:16-33
Rev. Eric Landry, '03
Genesis 49:29
- 50:14
Rev. Stephen Lewis, '98
2 Kings 11
Rev. Stephen Donovan, '01
Job 1:13-22
Rev. Brian Vos, '97
Rev. Jason J. Stellman, '04
Isaiah 55:1-5
Rev. David Lee, '04
Rev. Zach Keele, '03
Mr. Christopher Sandoval, '05
Rev. Jeff Suhr, '02
Rev. Eric Landry, '03
John 14:1-3
Rev. James Lee, '02
Rev. Dale Van Dyke, '91
Romans 16
Rev. Danny Hyde, '00
Ephesians 1:13-14
Rev. Ryan Kron, '06
Rev. Michael G. Brown, '04
Jude 1-2
Rev. Danny Hyde, '00
|
