The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he has often refreshed me, and has not been ashamed of my chain;
Paul writes from prison, and the line just before this one says that everyone in Asia turned away from him. Against that background he names one household and prays for it, and the reason he gives is a set of very ordinary kindnesses.
The verse gains its force from contrast. The turning away was wide, but not total.
The turning away from Paul was not absolutely complete even in Asia. There was at least a bright exception. God always uses a time of general evil, in His grace, to bring out unusual faithfulness and devotion... The contrast helps a great deal to show us clearly where the general desertion lay. And the Lord repaid "the house of Onesiphorus", with compound interest, for the grace He had given to its head.
Paul singles out one thing about Onesiphorus as decisive. Standing by a chained man meant sharing his shame.
But Paul also singles out the crucial fact: "and was not ashamed of my chains." Love shows its truth, character, and power in the hour of need. How was it with "all who are in Asia"? They were clearly ashamed of it. Human prudence blamed the zeal for Christ that had caused it. A worldly spirit refused to be linked in any way with the imprisoned apostle. How did the Lord regard such selfish timidity? The Holy Spirit marks its baseness permanently on the everlasting page of Scripture.
Nothing here is impressive by public measure. There is no sermon, no mission, no office — only a man who kept turning up.
The apostle's heart deeply appreciates the simple faithfulness of this dear man. He clearly had no place of prominence, but he had a heart devoted to the Lord and to His suffering servant. He does no great public work. But he often refreshed the apostle, and he was not ashamed to be seen with a man in prison for Christ's sake... What an indication that things which may look small in our eyes are not really small in God's estimate!
The comfort reached Paul through a man, but it did not begin with him.
There was one ray of light in the gloom of that moment. One small stream of comfort flowed into the apostle's heart from the heart of God, through His servant Onesiphorus... Precious to the weary soul of Paul were these cups of cold water that Onesiphorus put to his thirsty lips! And the Lord saw this blessed service, and counted it as done to Himself. "I was in prison and you came to me" (Matt. 25:36).
Paul asks mercy not for the man alone but for the people who lived with him.
The whole household is linked with the loyalty of its head. The apostle commends the whole household to the mercy of the Lord for Onesiphorus's loyal and loving heart... the whole household shared the rejection with its head. This is as it should be. May it be so indeed in our households!
The prayer also has two halves: one for now, and one for the day ahead.
The apostle's prayer covers a present and a future blessing. He wants present mercy for the house of Onesiphorus. That is, he prays that the members of Onesiphorus's family and household might come into the enjoyment of present mercy in salvation. The apostle's heart was in communion with the heart of God, who told Noah to come into the ark with all his house, because He had seen that Noah was righteous in that generation (compare Acts 16:31)... "That day" refers to the Lord's appearing (see v. 12). Then He will display His own in glory, and He will also display the reward, in grace, of each of His servants.
Some have read this verse as a prayer for a man who had already died. Commentators call that an assumption, not something the text says.
It is strange that the apostle's prayer for the house of Onesiphorus is used as an authority for praying for the dead. The assumption that Onesiphorus had died is incorrect.
- Chain. The dividing line was a chain. Many were ashamed of it, and Scripture records their timidity for ever. One man was not, and Scripture records that too.
- Refreshment. He did no great public work. He simply refreshed Paul again and again — and what looks small in our eyes is not small in God's estimate.
- Received. The Lord saw the cups of cold water given to a prisoner, and counted them as service done to Himself: "I was in prison and you came to me."
- House. The household shared its head's rejection. So the prayer asks present mercy for them, and mercy at the Lord's appearing for him.
- Repaid. The Lord repaid the grace He gave to one faithful man to his whole house, with compound interest. And this prayer gives no ground for praying for the dead.
but being in Rome sought me out very diligently, and found [me] --
Paul writes from a Roman prison near the end of his life, and most of those around him have deserted him. Then one name stands out: Onesiphorus reached Rome and would not stop looking until he found the chained apostle.
The verse gains its force from contrast. What the crowd failed to do, one man did.
The desertion of the mass made the affection of the few all the more precious. When the great mass grieved the heart of Paul, there was at least one of whom he can say, "He often refreshed me." When others deserted him, there was still one of whom he can write, "he searched for me earnestly and found me."
"Searched for me earnestly" describes a long effort, not a single visit.
Onesiphorus had also come to Rome, and he searched hard for Paul until he finally found him. There were many thousands of prisoners in Roman dungeons. We can well imagine how, day after day, Onesiphorus searched for his beloved brother, going from dungeon to dungeon until he found Paul. What a meeting that must have been!
Finding Paul was not just hard work. It meant being seen with a man in chains.
How grateful Paul was to Onesiphorus, who often refreshed him, was not ashamed of his chain, and searched for him earnestly in Rome until he found him! Imagine that — attaching yourself to a man in a position of obscurity as well as dishonour… There may be a greater trial than standing alone for the truth. In some cases, joining yourself to others calls for a higher quality. The quality needed for the first position is courage; for the second, grace. You may not fear blows: do you fear derision?
Onesiphorus held no public office and did nothing spectacular. The one thing he did was refuse to give up.
What a precious contrast we see in this devoted brother Onesiphorus, his name written forever in the Word of God! The apostle deeply appreciates the simple faithfulness of this dear man. He clearly had no place of prominence, but he had a heart devoted to the Lord and to His afflicted servant. It is no great public work he does… In Rome he sought Paul out. That was surely hard in so large a city, where prisons were many. Anyone could excuse himself from such a task as unnecessary. But the apostle — and certainly God too — valued the faith that kept looking until it found Paul. What an indication that things which may appear small in our eyes are not really so in the estimate of God!
Two hearts are behind the visit: the friend's and God's.
There was one ray of light in the gloom of that moment. One stream of comfort flowed into the heart of the Apostle from the heart of God, through His servant Onesiphorus… The Lord used him to bring refreshment to the captive Apostle… And the Lord saw this blessed service, and valued it as done to Himself. "I was in prison and you came to me" (Matt. 25:36).
One writer names the reason the search succeeded.
When he was in Rome, he eagerly sought out the apostle and found him. God prospers earnest love for Christ's sake.
One writer turns the verse directly on the reader, asking whether Paul is any less rejected today.
And has this not a word for us today? We stand and survey the ruin we ourselves have brought in. Is it not an essential part of faithfulness to seek Paul out very diligently and find him, speaking figuratively? And has the real Paul changed, either in doctrine or manner of life, or suffering? … The true "Paul" is as rejected today as then; and this is a solemn consideration for each of us.
- Sought. When the mass deserted Paul, one man went looking. The desertion of the many made the loyalty of the one more precious.
- Sought hard. Rome held thousands of prisoners. Finding Paul meant going from dungeon to dungeon, day after day.
- Sought openly. The search exposed him to the same disgrace as the chain. Courage stands alone; grace stands beside the despised.
- Found. He did not search in vain. God prospers earnest love shown for Christ's sake, and counts a prison visit as made to Himself.
- Remembered. What looks small to us is not small to God. Onesiphorus' name stands in the Word of God forever.