Romans 16:12-13 - Working Hard in the Lord

Romans 16;12-13 - ¹² Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

Message: Workers in the Lord

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying: 

Paul gives greetings today to Tryphaena (delicate), Tryphosa (dainty), Persis and Rufus. Here are some thoughts from a TableTalk reading on December 5, 2014:

There is not much known about these individuals, but looking at the names alone does generate some clues about the individuals. Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis were all female names in ancient Roman culture, and they were often given to slaves. Thus, all three of them were likely slaves or former slaves. Tryphaena and Tryphosa may been sisters, as families in ancient world often gave their children names that were based on the same root, in this case Tryph-. The name Persis comes from the word translated as "Persia," and that may mean that Persia was a female slave who was taken from Persia. In any case, the Apostle singles them all out for working "in the Lord" (v.12). Persis is spoken of as having done this in the past tense, which may indicate that she was elderly at the time Paul wrote the epistle and no longer physically able to serve to the extent that she once did.

We get a bit more information about Rufus, who was "chosen in the Lord" (v.13). Paul does not likely mean "chosen unto salvation" here, as that designation would presumably apply to everyone he greets and would not set Rufus apart. Instead, the Apostle likely means that Rufus was a "choice servant" of Christ, one who had proved to be particularly valuable in service to the Lord. This could be the son of Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus' cross. 

Paul also commends Rufus' mother.

Also, worked hard, from the Greek word kopiao does not mean the amount of work, but the effort put forth. We are do the best with the gifts God has given us.

Promise: Work hard, according to what the Lord has given us and what we are able to do. Two people may both be working hard, but the output may look different. God looks at the heart, not the output.