But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
(Philippians 2:25-27 NIV)
Is someone in your life facing a frightening medical diagnosis? Is someone dear to you very sick and you are anxious for them? Is there someone you care for—someone like this passage describes—ill and at the point of death?
One small note tucked in the book of Philippians motivated me today to pray for a few loved ones who are facing medical crises. It also revealed the kindness of the Lord to me. I want to share it with you in hopes that the kindness of God we read about in this passage will comfort you and encourage you as you pray for the person in your life who is sick.
Epaphroditus Spared from Sickness
The verse listed above is part of a personal letter from the Apostle Paul (who is imprisoned in Rome) to a community of followers of Jesus in Greece. This church had sent Epaphroditus to visit Paul with a gift for Paul. But it seems that on the way Epaphroditus got very sick.
Notice what the passage says. Epaphroditus “almost died” [Philippians 2:27 NIV, emphasis added]. His illness got that serious. He was on the verge of death. But notice what follows. “But God had mercy on him—” he didn’t die. He was healed of his sickness. That’s the first kindness of God we read about. Epaphroditus’s healing is attributed to God’s mercy. God healed Epaphroditus. But God’s kindness didn’t stop there.
Paul Spared from Sorrow
Pay attention to what is said next: “God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow” [Philippians 2:27, emphasis added]. God saw Epaphroditus’s suffering, and in compassion, he healed him.
But God also saw Paul’s suffering, caused by the thought of losing his dear friend. In compassion toward the suffering Epaphroditus’s death would cause Paul, God healed Epaphroditus. In other words, one of the reasons the Bible gives us here for God healing Epaphroditus was to spare his friend sorrow upon sorrow.
What Does Epaphroditus’s Story Say to Us Today?
When Paul writes that God healed his friend to spare him sorrow on sorrow, we are not just reading Paul’s interpretation of the situation. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of Scripture, who spoke through men to say exactly what he wanted us to hear (2 Peter 1:20). When we read that God healed Paul’s friend to spare him of grief, this is the Holy Spirit’s own authoritative interpretation of the event. We can then say with confidence that one of God’s reasons for sparing Epaphroditus was to spare Paul sorrow.
However, here is a note of caution. It would be wrong for us to read this passage and think God will always work in this way. We are reading a report of something God did in the past. We are not reading a promise that God will always perform the same act for us. This is also one passage in the Bible about illness, and there are many other stories where God worked in different ways for different purposes, according to his wisdom.
But we would also be wrong to read the passage and miss the kindness, compassion, and tenderness of God! God delighted to act in this way in the past, and we serve the same God today (Hebrews 13:8)! If he acted this way in the past, we can hope in faith that he may delight to act in the same way today. This passage reveals to us God’s heart, that he is near in our sorrows (Psalm 34:18), and it is knowing God’s heart that motivates us to pray with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). God loves when we come to him in faith, presenting our requests in light of our confidence in his loving character.
May Epaphroditus’s Story Motivate You to Pray
Therefore, I want to conclude by encouraging you to pray for the healing of your loved one who is very sick. As you do, remember that God is at work beyond their life, and he has compassion toward everyone involved in their suffering—you included! God sees the pain their sickness causes you, and he cares.
If your heart is distressed over the illness of a friend, then I pray this passage brightens your vision of God’s character, and motivates you to pray for healing, that your friend might know God’s mercy in a powerful way, and that you might receive mercy too.
We are promised that God delights in showing us mercy (Micah 7:18; Psalm 145:8). We do not know how this mercy will show up for us. So as we pray for our loved ones, we can keep our hearts open, in eager expectation for the ways in which God will bring that mercy to bear in our situations today.