But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is minister of the assembly which is in Cenchrea;
The letter that unfolds the gospel more fully than any other closes not with doctrine but with a woman's name. Paul is writing to a church he had never visited. The first person he names is a sister from a small port town. Why does she come first, and what does he mean by calling her a "servant"?
Paul opens the chapter with a commendation, and it had a practical purpose.
F. B. HolePhoebe appears to have been the one who carried the letter. Paul works in this word of commendation about her so that the believers at Rome would receive her freely and without question. She had helped many and even Paul himself in the course of her service at Cenchrea.
Writers see a pattern here for welcoming a believer who arrives from another church.
L. M. GrantPaul commends her to the saints at Rome, and her right to fellowship with them is clear. Such an example is meant to be followed today: we should receive no one without clear knowledge of the person. This is simply proper care. It is lovely also to notice that this is no mere formal letter of introduction. It is a warm commendation of one whose service to the saints, and to Paul himself, deserved special mention.
Notice what Paul does not say. He does not rest her welcome on her being in fellowship at Cenchrea.
C. H. MackintoshNothing could be more striking than the fine distinction that marks this beautiful Scripture. First of all, notice how Paul commends Phoebe to the church at Rome. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe." On what ground? Is it that she is "breaking bread" or "in fellowship" at Cenchrea? No; but "she is a servant of the church"; and "she has been a patron of many and of myself as well."
The Greek word behind "servant" is diakonos, the root of our word "deacon." Commentators differ over what it means here. Some read it as a recognised position:
William KellyWe know from elsewhere that older women, and widows in particular, held a position, official or close to it. In it they served the church where they lived. A deaconess such as Phoebe was distinct from these widows, but the one illustrates the other. Phoebe was one of these in the church at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth. Indeed, in every time and place some things are better done by a godly woman than by any man, however pure-minded or elderly.
Others hold back from that conclusion:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe word for "servant" is diakonos, "deaconess," but it may not imply any official service.
Paul also tells Rome what she had done. She had money, and she used it for others.
Edwin N. CrossPhoebe was a servant to the church in Cenchrea. Yet Paul shows that she was wealthy, and she shared her resources with the Lord's people. She was a patroness — a helper — to many, including the apostle, whom she had probably met in Cenchrea. We see that her wealth did not make her proud; she gave willing and humble service. There is much for sisters to do, for the work of the testimony is wide and varied. There is no reason for any sister or brother to say, "there is nothing for me to do."
Her name appears nowhere else in the Bible. We know almost nothing about her beyond these two verses. Yet her service is not forgotten.
C. E. StuartShe was a devoted woman, whose service is recorded on high. Mentioned here, she stands out as an encouragement to others. Their service may be quiet, and little known beyond the circle of those who benefit from it. Still, it is not unnoticed by Him who will repay them with His "Well done" in a coming day.
Paul himself had been shown the deepest counsels of God. He ends his greatest letter by remembering what people had done for him.
J. N. DarbyBy grace he had searched into all the counsels of God. He had been allowed to see what could not be made known to man here below. Yet he remembered all that these humble Christians — these devoted women — had done for him and for the Lord. This is love; it is the real proof of the power of the Spirit of God; it is the bond of love.
- Named. Phoebe appears nowhere else in Scripture. Paul still names her first in his closing chapter and calls her "our sister."
- Serving. "Servant" translates diakonos. Commentators differ over whether it marks a recognised position or just describes her work. All agree the work was real.
- Sending. She most likely carried the letter to Rome. That is why the commendation comes first.
- Receiving. Paul asks Rome to welcome her on the ground of her service, not her status. That is still the pattern for receiving one another.
- Rewarded. Paul noticed her quiet help, Scripture records it, and heaven keeps it for a coming day.
that ye may receive her in [the] Lord worthily of saints, and that ye may assist her in whatever matter she has need of you; for *she* also has been a helper of many, and of myself.
Paul ends his letter to Rome with names rather than doctrine, and Phoebe's comes first. He asks the Christians there to welcome a woman they have never met and to help her — so what gives anyone a claim on that help?
Phoebe was travelling from Cenchreae, the port near Corinth, to a city where nobody knew her. Paul's few lines are her introduction. Commentators read them as a pattern that still holds.
L. M. GrantBut first we see the careful order observed in connection with the visit of Phebe at Rome. She evidently was the bearer of this letter, her home assembly being at Cenchrea. So Paul commends her to the saints at Rome, and her title to fellowship with them is clear. Such an example is clearly meant to be followed today. There should be no reception without clear knowledge of the person.
How did scattered assemblies of Christians know that a stranger was one of their own?
Frank WallaceIf a Christian moved from one place to another, he carried a letter of commendation signed by trusted people. He presented it to the assembly, and they knew him to be a member of another assembly. Here was a method that bound them together and they were known in their movements with each other... Romans 16:1-2 is Paul's letter of commendation for that beloved sister, Phoebe. Dear friends, this is the word of God; it is not a custom of one group, it is a Scriptural practice.
The welcome Paul asks for is not a formality. It must match what saints are, and it must reach beyond spiritual matters.
William KellyPhoebe served in the assembly at the port of Corinth — Cenchreae. The Lord had honoured her there, and His chief servants recognised her, in the ordinary circle of her Christian duty. So the apostle now introduces her to the saints at Rome. They were to receive her in a becoming way — not only in spiritual things, but in whatever business she might need their help.
The same call to act "worthily" runs through Paul's letters.
G C WillisAnd the Spirit of God presses home on us this need to behave in a worthy way. "Receive her in the Lord worthily of saints." Rom. 16:2. "I urge you to walk worthily of the calling." Eph. 4:1. "Walk worthily of the Lord." Col. 1:10. "Walk worthily of God." 1 Thess. 2:12.
Those lines follow an older translation, which repeats one word, "worthily." The ESV has "in a way worthy of the saints."
The help in view is everyday and practical. The wording below follows an older translation: "helper" where the ESV has "patron."
C Stanley"A helper of many." Clearly this was in temporal things. She was to be received in the Lord, in that relationship. And what beautiful love and care. She is to be assisted in whatever business she has in Rome. It might then be said, See how these Christians love one another.
Paul gives a reason for his request. She had cared for many others, and for him. Her claim rests on that record, not on where she belonged.
C. H. MackintoshIn touching, forceful words he gives the moral basis of her claim on the hospitality and help of the assembly. To say that a person is "breaking bread" is, sadly, no guarantee of personal devotedness. It ought to be; but it is not. And so to expect the sympathy, help, and confidence of the Lord's people on that ground is unwarranted.
Most service like Phoebe's is seen by only a handful of people.
C E StuartShe was a devoted woman, whose service is recorded on high. Mentioned here, she stands as an encouragement to others. Their service may be quiet and little known beyond the circle of those who benefit by it. Even so, He notices it, and He will repay them with His "Well done" in a coming day.
Did such deep knowledge of God make Paul forget ordinary people?
J. N. DarbyBy grace he had searched into all the counsels of God. He had been allowed to see what could not be made known to man here below. Yet he remembered all that these humble Christians — these devoted women — had done for him and for the Lord. This is love; it is the real proof of the power of the Spirit of God; it is the bond of love.
- Commended. Phoebe carried the letter and her own commendation. Know a person before you receive them.
- Received. The welcome is "in the Lord" and worthy of saints — the same standard as walking worthily of the calling, of the Lord, of God.
- Assisted. The help is open-ended and practical — whatever business she has in Rome.
- Deserved. Her claim rests on the help she gave others, not on formal standing. Breaking bread is no guarantee of devotedness.
- Remembered. Quiet service is recorded on high. Paul, who had searched the counsels of God, still remembered what one woman did for him.