Don't Skip Romans 16 — The Names at the End
Suggested reading: Romans 16:1–16
Most of us skim the last chapter of Romans. After the soaring theology of chapters 1–11 and the practical wisdom of 12–15, chapter 16 looks like a list of hard-to-pronounce names. But slow down. This list is a window into the real church in Rome, and into the heart of Paul.
A crowd of friends
Paul greets more than two dozen people by name in verses 3–15, plus several households and unnamed family members. Remember, he had never been to Rome. Yet he knew these people, many of them from his travels, and he cared enough to name each one.
Great theology never made Paul cold toward people. The man who wrote Romans 8 also remembered who had risked their necks for him and whose mother had treated him like a son (Romans 16:4, 13).
Who's on the list?
Look closely and you'll see the whole church represented:
Old friends and co-workers. Priscilla and Aquila, the tentmaking couple Paul met in Corinth, had risked their lives for him and were now hosting a church in their home (Romans 16:3–5).
The first convert of a region. Epaenetus was the first person in the province of Asia to believe in Christ (Romans 16:5).
Hard-working women. Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa and Persis are all praised for working hard in the Lord (Romans 16:6, 12). Tryphaena and Tryphosa may have been sisters, even twins.
Fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. Andronicus and Junia were Jewish believers who had been in prison with Paul and had come to Christ before he did (Romans 16:7).
Ordinary and enslaved people. Names like Ampliatus and Hermes were common among slaves and freedmen in Rome. In the church, they stood shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.
Whole households. Paul greets believers in the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus (Romans 16:10–11). These may have been servants in wealthy Roman homes who had come to faith.
A possible connection to the cross
In verse 13, Paul greets Rufus, "chosen in the Lord," and his mother. Mark's Gospel, likely written for Christians in Rome, mentions that Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross, was "the father of Alexander and Rufus" (Mark 15:21). Mark names the sons as if his readers knew them.
We can't be certain it's the same Rufus. But it's a moving possibility. The man forced to carry Jesus' cross may have raised a son who became a pillar of the church in Rome.
What this chapter teaches us
The gospel creates family. Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and free, all greeted as brothers and sisters. This is Romans 1–15 lived out.
Ordinary faithfulness matters. Most of these people are never mentioned again in Scripture. History forgot them, but God did not, and Paul did not.
People are worth remembering. Paul's ministry was built on relationships. Knowing names, thanking helpers, honoring faithful service: these are not small things.
A challenge for this week
If Paul were writing to our church, whose names would be on the list? Take a moment to thank someone who has served you, prayed for you or helped you grow in faith. Send the text. Write the note. Say the name.
That's how the church in Rome loved one another, and it's how we can too.
Join us Sunday at Harvest Community Church as we continue our journey through Romans.
Comments