“Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.”
This verse begins the conclusion of the letter to the Colossians. It is a very long conclusion for such a short letter.
The close of Paul’s epistles demonstrates how much involvement he had with people. He was a people person concerned with mature interpersonal relations. Verses 4:7-18 give final greetings to his friends.
Paul lists ten people in the conclusion to Colossians. Eight of them are his associates, and the other two are individuals in Colosse.
“Tychicus” (cf. Eph. 6:21,22)
Tychicus traveled widely with the apostle Paul. He joined Paul in traveling from Ephesus to Jerusalem at the end of the third missionary journey (Acts 20:4). He also joined Paul’s team on the final visit to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4-5; cf. 1 Cor. 16:1-4; cf. 2 Cor 8:19ff). In Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, Tychicus was with the apostle and carried the epistle of Colossians from Rome Italy to the believers in Colosse (Turkey today). He was from the Roman province of Asia (Acts 20:4).
At the close of Paul’s life, Paul sent Tychicus with Trophimus on a missionary journey to Ephesus to take Timothy’s place (Tit. 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:12). He dispatched Tychicus to Ephesus during his second Roman imprisonment (2 Tim. 4:12). This would free Timothy to rejoin Paul who wanted to see him before he met his fate as a martyr (2 Tim. 4:9,21). Tychicus may have also been sent to relieve Titus in overseeing the churches on the isle of Crete (Titus 3:12).
Tychicus was one of those no-name servants of God in the New Testament who enormously impacted the cause of Christ. He was Paul’s servant to the churches of the Lycus Valley. He bore Colossians and Ephesians’ epistles to their destination (Co 4:7-9; Eph. 6:21-22).
He may have also carried the letter of Second Timothy (2 Ti 4:12). Titus 3:12 says Paul planned to send Tychicus or Artemas to Crete to free Titus to join Paul at Nicopolis. These commissions reflect the trustworthiness that Paul placed in him (Eph. 6:21; Col. 47).
Tychicus was a “fellow servant” with Paul (Eph. 6:21). Paul sent him to Colosse with the express purpose of informing them about his state of affairs to encourage them.
Paul repeatedly sent Tychicus somewhere. He sent Tychicus because he had confidence in him. It is a great asset to have confidence in those with whom we work. Paul was not suspicious of him; he knew Tychicus was loyal.
Principle:
God expects us to develop a cadre of companions toward maturity in Christ.
Application:
Tychicus was a simple mailman, yet the mighty apostle Paul depended upon him. He carried the mail of the first reading of the book of Colossians. Small unseen parts of our car’s motor are crucial to its operation. We may never know its name or function, but we depend on them to run the vehicle. Without the service of Tychicus, the Colossians would not have read the Word of God.
