The Apostle Paul Remembers His Mother

I enjoy cable TV for two reasons. First, being a news "junkie" I can get all the news I want, delivered from any particular point of bias I choose, at any time I want. Second, I love movies, preferably older ones, and there are dozens of channels which will satisfy my interest at any given moment. I like a wide variety of genres, but as of yet I have not been bitten by the zombie, werewolf, or vampire flicks.

There are several movie channels which show the same movie over and over in any given 24 hour period, particularly on weekends or holidays. An interesting, and annoying, feature of these channels is that at the end of the movie, the screen goes to a smaller picture-in-picture mode as the credits begin to roll. The larger picture usually shows the beginning of the same movie that just ended. And the credits roll very fast. If you had an Uncle Louie who worked as a grip on a film you just watched, the movie credits just goes zipping by his name, too fast for you to read and in font to small to be legible. You never have the opportunity to say, "Look, there's Uncle Louie!" I guess the movie channels don't have much regard for Uncle Louie, or any of the other people responsible for the production.

The apostle Paul concludes his letters with greetings and salutations to the church and, often, with a note to certain individuals by name. Some of the greetings are quite lengthy, notably his letters to the Romans and the Colossians, and often serve to commend individuals, but at other times to admonish some. We are often tempted to skim over the closing greetings because Paul is just saying goodbye to his readers. After all, the real meat of Paul's message and theology is in the passages which preceded his final salutations to the people of the church he is addressing. It seems okay to skip over these rather quickly because we won't miss much. What can be of value in these closing verses when compared to the overall majesty of the content and context of the letter? It's a bit like reading the genealogies of the Old Testament. If you stop and think for a minute, when was the last time you reflected upon the significance of the genealogy recorded, say,  in 1 Chronicles 1-9 as part of your private or family devotions?

In my opinion one of the most poignant greetings of Paul is recorded in the closing of his epistle to the Romans. But, if we let it run our eyes and minds over it too quickly, just like the movie credits, we will miss a gem altogether.

"Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well."

(Romans 16:13 ESV)

Paul sends his greetings to Rufus, chosen in the Lord. Perhaps this is the same Rufus, the son of Simon the Cyrene, who is mentioned in Mark's gospel. In Mark 15:21, the writer records, "And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross." Maybe. The only thing we can certainly conclude is that Rufus is "chosen in the Lord," as are all believers.

What is more to my point is the greeting written to the mother of Rufus, who ministered to Paul as his mother. Paul is not recognizing this woman as his natural mother, but acknowledging that her service to him was that of a mother to a son. Godet, in his Commentary on Romans puts forth the case:

"The following words: “his mother and mine,” prove that Paul was united to this family by the closest ties—that he had even lived in it. And if we remember that Mark, writing his Gospel at Rome, was pleased to designate Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Jesus, as “the father of Alexander and Rufus ,” we shall be naturally led to hold that this family had removed from Jerusalem to Rome, where Rufus occupied a distinguished place in the church. It was therefore during the years of his youth, when he was studying at Jerusalem, that Paul had lived in the bosom of this family, and had enjoyed the motherly care of Simon's wife."

Whether Godet's point that Paul was united to this family by the closest ties can be proven is not really relevant. What is remarkable is that Paul took the time to acknowledge her service to him. Even more pointedly is that the Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, acknowledged her service.

This is the day on which we remember and express our gratitude to our mothers for their love and care for us. But, there exists a group of women in the church who often go unrecognized. They are mostly among the more mature women of the church (I avoid the words "older" or "elderly" when referring to these women. I invariably always choose the wrong word.). They often form the prayer "backbone" of the church. And they are the ones who often serve as "mother" to the pastors of the congregation.

It appears that in Paul's day, there was a greater, deeper, and more pervasive sense of a family relationship within the church. In the book of Acts we read of how individuals within the church sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to those who were in need. Today, many churches struggle with God's requirement of tithing. We far too often measure our spiritual maturity by the degree of our doctrinal accuracy and precision, and forget the weightier matters of the law - justice and mercy and faithfulness. We ought to do these things without forgetting the others. Hopefully, Paul's greeting to his mother will serve to remind us that we are one people, bought by the blood of Christ and bound to one another by that blood.

So, to the women who have served Christ so faithfully in their service as mothers to pastors and congregations, thank you. 

"For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do."        (Hebrews 6:10, ESV)