Colossians 4:7-9 7Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister and co-slave in the Lord, will make known to you all the things about me, 8whom I have sent to you for this same purpose, in order that you might know the things about us and in order that he may encourage your hearts, 9and with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all the things which are happening here.
Paul now begins to close out the letter with personal greetings and news. The first on the list is Tychicus. It is likely that Tychicus carried this letter to the Colossians. There was no mail system back then, so all letters like this needed to be hand delivered. Paul describes Tychicus in three ways in verse 7. First, he is the beloved brother, indicating the close bond Paul had with him. Tychicus is mentioned five times in the New Testament in relation to Paul’s ministry. In Acts 20:4, Tychicus was part of the group that went with Paul to Jerusalem taking the special offering that had been collected for the impoverished saints there. This suggests that he was reliable and willing to take the risk of traveling such a long distance for this project. Ephesians 6:21 mentions Tychicus as the possible courier for that letter. He probably took both letters from Paul with him back to Asia Minor. So, the Ephesian church would have also known him. Second Timothy 4:12 mentions that Paul had sent Tychicus to Ephesus. This may have been with the letter to the Ephesians just mentioned. This suggests that Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians about the same time he wrote 2 Timothy. Titus 3:12 indicates that Paul was hoping to send Tychicus to meet with Titus. It possible that Tychicus was the courier for that letter also. These verses are not definitive about the role of Tychicus in the early church, but strongly suggest that he was one of Paul’s most reliable couriers and representatives to the church.
Second, Tychicus is a faithful minister. Minister (diakonos) is someone who brings news or serves as a representative of another. In the New Testament, it has the special usage of those who serve in the church in special ministry. Tychicus showed himself to be faithful to God’s calling in service to the mission before him. The various passages where he is mentioned indicate that Paul had a lot of confidence in his ministry.
Third, Paul calls Tychicus a co-slave, which is a compound word consisting of the preposition “with” (syn) and “slave” (doulos). It can be assumed that the “with” part include includes Paul, who calls himself a slave of Christ several times in his letters (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). Both Paul and Tychicus were bonded to Christ and had submitted themselves to his supremacy. Paul may have several rhetorical strategies in using this specific word here. It is noteworthy that Paul had just addressed the master/slave relationship in the previous section (3:22-4:1). Also, he mentions in verse 9 Onesimus, who was formerly the slave of Philemon who was part of the Colossian church (see the letter to Philemon). By calling Tychicus a slave and implying himself also a slave, Paul puts himself on the same level as Onesimus, thus elevating Onesimus to a higher position of honor.
Paul is also sending Onesimus with this letter. The Colossians would have know Onesimus well since he was a slave in Philemon’s household. We do not know when, where, or how Onesimus has become a believer, but someone he had met the imprisoned Paul and become a big help to him. Paul describes him in three significant ways. First, he was faithful (pistō), the same word used for Tychicus. He trusted in Christ and had shown this trust in action. Second, he was the beloved brother. Paul uses the very same description here as for Tychicus. Essentially, Paul has put both of these brothers on the same level, although curiously he does not call Onesimus a “minister” as such. Not much should be made of this omission. Finally, Paul reminds the Colossians that Onesimus was one of them. They knew him, at least the old Onesimus. But now, he was a changed person. He will give the evidence to them that the gospel is powerful at changing people. He was a new creation in Christ!
Paul repeats three times in these verses the idea that he wants the Colossians to know about what is happening to him, Timothy, and the others with them. He sent this letter with Tychicus not simply to give a news update but also to encourage the hearts of the Colossians. This is another clue as to the purpose of this letter. Receiving a letter like this along with the personal emissary of someone they knew would have brought excitement and anticipation. Paul addressed issues in the letter that were relevant to the church and provided answers to questions they may or may not have realized they had. The partnerships in the early church were crucial for the mission of preaching the gospel to the nations.
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