7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,
Paul greeted Andronicus and Junia together and said four things about these two people. They may have been husband and wife. Andronicus was a Greek name found in the imperial court. He may have been royalty.
Junia can be either masculine or feminine. Here Junia is probably feminine.
my countrymen [Jewish] and my fellow prisoners,
First, these two were from the nation of Israel. Second, they were in jail with Paul. There is no record of this imprisonment. Paul was in jail many times; their joint jail experience might have been one of those times (2 Co 11:23).
who are of note [outstanding] among the apostles,
Third, they held honor among the apostles. Their reputation among the apostles was outstanding. They stood out as prominent servants of God to the most important leaders of the church, the apostles.
who also were in Christ before me.
These two people were believers before the apostle Paul came to Christ. They were among the first to become Christians anywhere. They became believers 25 years prior to the writing of Romans.
PRINCIPLE:
There are those who are distinguished for spreading the gospel.
APPLICATION:
We put ourselves at risk when we associate with those who aggressively share the gospel. Those who spread the gospel are risk takers.
It is interesting that Paul put forth a woman whom leaders of the early church deemed as “outstanding.” This is significant because there are those who accuse Paul as having a low view of women.
