Phoebe means ‘radiant’. Her name most likely reflected her personality, to which the grace of God must have added the crowning glory. We know of no husband, or arrangements in her life, that detracted from her ability to serve the Lord and His people in every way she could. She lived in Cenchrea, a seaport just a few miles east of Corinth. A sister in Christ, she was known personally to the apostle Paul, having helped him, and ‘many’ others, too.
Certainly the assembly, of which she was a part, esteemed her and valued the work she did there. When it came to needing someone whom they could trust, then Phoebe was probably their first choice. The word ‘deacon’ indicates recognition by the church. How ‘radiant’ are you for the Lord amongst His people? Do they trust you, look up to you, and have public confidence in you? It’s easy to be a nobody. Make the effort to make your mark for God!
That Phoebe was reliable is evident from the fact that Paul was prepared to commit into her hands the delivery of the Epistle to the Romans. He would commend her to the church in Rome, knowing that he had personally benefited from her care.
We might well consider whether we are worthy of the letter of commendation we request from the assembly. Do we hand it over to other believers knowing that we are justifiably what the letter says we are? These letters can be just a formality, providing a cloak of respectability for us. Will the receiving believers be able to look for our full commitment to them? Is our devotion to Christ as evident away from home as we would like to think it is back at home? Are we as commendable as Phoebe was?
The Roman Christians were asked to ‘receive’ her. That reception was to be of the kind that would be expected from those who had been ‘sanctified’. Paul was only too well aware of how Phoebe would feel as a woman, and alone, in a vast city like Rome. There were matters in which she would need the help of the Christians there. Pray for believers you know who are away from home, and who may need such help today. Thank God for the happy memories of those we have met, in many places, who love Christ and with whom we have found sweet fellowship.
