Aristarchus
appears ‘out of the blue’ at a riot in Ephesus. He and Gaius were part of
Paul’s team and were accused of defaming the local goddess, Artemis. The Gospel
was having a serious affect upon the icon industry and Demetrius a silversmith
planned the protest.
This
could have been life threatening. Did it make Aristarchus rethink his faith,
commitment or service with Paul? The other accounts mentioning this man indicate
it made him more resolute to follow Jesus and assist the apostle Paul. We find
him as a member bringing relief money from the Gentile churches to Christians
in Judea. As such he and others preceded Paul to Troas, presumably to finalise
arrangements in the city.
The next
reference tells us he was travelling on the boat to Rome, with the team leader.
Was Aristarchus a prisoner along with Paul, or a travelling assistant? The term
used in Colossians implies the former. One thing is for certain, you never
could foresee what may happen when you travel with a Paul in the Lord’s
service. When the ship endured the storm and was run aground did he think “here
we go again!”
Aristarchus,
if a prisoner was he set free before Paul, we don’t know. He was however commissioned
to travel with Tychicus and Onesimus to Colosse. He also was to bring Paul’s
greetings to Philemon, and I would think, support Onesimus’s rehabilitation. When
you consider the background of these men you appreciate the unifying power of
the Lord Jesus. Aristarchus was from Thessalonica, Tychicus from Ephesus and
Onesimus was a slave from Colosse. Others such as Timothy came from Lystra and
of course the strong minded Jew, Paul. Then there was Silas and Dr. Luke the
gentile from Troas. As Ephesians 2:13-14 puts it, ‘He (Christ) is our peace; in
his flesh he has made both groups [Jew and Gentile] into one and has broken
down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.’
This
man’s name means ‘good prince’ ‘best ruler’. Is there a sense of an aristocratic
heritage in his family? If there was, how did they respond to his becoming a
Christian? What did they think of his experiences? One thing we do know it
didn’t deter him from obedience to Christ. He probably wore the title ‘prisoner
of
Christ’ with a sense of honour. He is a fine example of a faithful person
unconcerned by playing ‘second fiddle’ to the leadership of Paul. Aristarchus
understood the reality undergirding team ministry and fulfilled that which he
was called upon to do.
The description
of the Church as the Body of Christ is very appropriate. It means we are all an
essential part and need to be in good health and a sound relationship with
other members of the Body. 1 Corinthians 10-14 goes into great detail on this
matter. The eyes of the children and the ears of their parents, guardians and
friends will be focused on how well we act as a team. They will also judge the
Body of Christ by our service to Him and our care to each other.
Ray Hawkins Oct 2nd 2016
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