Colossians 4:10-11 10Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are from the circumcision, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
Paul lists others who were with him at the time. Aristarchus, who was in prison with Paul at the time of this letter, is mentioned four other times in the New Testament. He was with Paul in Acts 19:29 when the people created a riot and brought Aristarchus and Gaius were dragged by the people and probably their lives were threatened. Thankfully, the city clerk was able to quiet down the crowd. We find out in this story that Aristarchus was from Macedonia. After the time in Ephesus, he accompanied Paul and others to Greece and then on to Troas, meeting there and finally heading to Jerusalem. This all indicates that he was a close companion with Paul in the ministry. He is next mentioned in Acts 27:2, where we find out that he was from Thessalonica. He sailed with Paul to Rome to face trial. This quick reference suggests that he stay with Paul all throughout the time in Jerusalem and Caesarea and then went on with him to Rome. If Colossians was written from Rome, it is possible that Aristarchus stayed with Paul all throughout these years of ministry and imprisonment. He is mentioned one final time in Philemon 24. The letter to Philemon was sent to Colossae the same time as this letter to the Colossians.
John Mark was also present with Paul. Mark was a travel companion with Paul and Barnabas for while during the . He was the cousin to Barnabas and lived in the Jerusalem area with his mother Mary (Acts 12:12). Mark may have become a believer through the influence of Peter (1 Peter 5:13). According to tradition, Mark wrote the second Gospel and received his information for this from Peter. Paul and Barnabas took him on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). He returned home in Acts 13:13, which did not sit well with Paul. Later, Barnabas wanted to take him again on a trip. Paul and Barnabas got into such a disagreement that they parted ways (Acts 15:38-39). Evidently, at some point, Paul and Mark were reconciled and Mark became a key companion to Paul. The next time we hear of Mark is in the letters to the Colossians and Philemon. At some point, Paul wrote Timothy and asked him to bring Mark with him to Rome (2 Timothy 4:11). It may have been in Rome that Mark met Peter again and wrote his Gospel. There are a lot of mystery to all of these events, but we can also see God’s providential working through the interaction of these early Christians.
Jesus also called Justus is the third mentioned. Jesus was a common enough name, which is Hebrew or Aramaic is translated from Joshua. Little is described about the person beyond what Paul writes here. There is a Justus mentioned in Acts 18:7 who had his house attached to the synagogue in Corinth. It is possible that this is the same person because of the next description of these three persons as being Jews. Another Justus is mentioned in Acts 1:23 who was nominated to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle but missed out on the lottery. The letter assumes that the Colossians knew Jesus called Justus or had heard of him.
Paul gives three more descriptions about these three persons. All three were from the circumcision, meaning that they were Jewish Christians. They were also fellow workers for the kingdom of God and had been involved in the ministry in different ways. Paul was a team player and had many people working with him in the mission. They had all been a source of encouragement to Paul. Being imprisoned was not a pleasant experience in most situations in the ancient world. It was almost necessary to have someone from the outside providing aid in order to survive the situation. Paul does not say what kind of encouragement these three were to him, but the way Paul writes suggests that it was spiritual in nature. Team ministry, prayer, and encouragement all enabled Paul and other early Christians like him endure persecution and change the world for Christ. We need these three things in our own lives to follow God’s leading.
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