Philemon 1:24

My Notes

What Does Philemon 1:24 Mean?

"Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers." Paul's closing greetings from his Roman imprisonment include four names and one title: fellowlabourers (synergoi — co-workers, people who labor alongside). The list is a snapshot of Paul's team — and a bittersweet one. Mark (the same John Mark who abandoned Paul on the first missionary journey) is now restored. Aristarchus stayed with Paul through the shipwreck. Lucas (Luke) is the faithful physician. And Demas — who appears here as a fellowlabourer — will later desert Paul (2 Timothy 4:10: "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world").

The same roster that includes the restored (Mark) and the faithful (Luke, Aristarchus) also includes the one who will betray (Demas). Paul doesn't know it yet. The list is a picture of a team that includes both enduring faithfulness and future desertion.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Who on your current 'team' might be a Mark (restored from failure) or a Demas (future deserter)?
• 2.What does Mark's restoration teach about the non-permanence of ministry failure?
• 3.How does Demas appearing as 'fellowlabourer' here and as deserter later challenge your assumptions about your current relationships?
• 4.What role are you playing in someone's story — the Luke (faithful always) or the Demas (faithful for now)?

Devotional

Mark. Aristarchus. Demas. Luke. My co-workers. Four names. One title. And the list contains a restoration, a martyr's companion, a future deserter, and the author of the longest gospel and Acts.

Marcus. John Mark — the man Paul refused to take on the second journey because he deserted on the first (Acts 15:37-39). The split between Paul and Barnabas was over this man. And now he's in the greeting: Marcus, my fellowlabourer. The deserter has become a co-worker. The person Paul rejected has been restored. The ministry failure wasn't permanent. And the reconciliation is recorded in a single word: Marcus.

Aristarchus. The Thessalonian who was dragged into the Ephesian riot (Acts 19:29) and accompanied Paul all the way to Rome (Acts 27:2). He's still here — in prison with Paul, according to Colossians 4:10 ("my fellowprisoner"). The man who entered the mob and survived it now shares the chains. Faithful through riot, shipwreck, and imprisonment.

Demas. My fellowlabourer. Right now, at this moment, Demas is a co-worker. Paul trusts him. Names him alongside the faithful. But 2 Timothy 4:10 — Paul's final letter — will record: "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica." The man listed as a co-worker will become the man who abandoned the work. The person on the team right now will desert the team later. And Paul, writing Philemon, doesn't know it yet.

Lucas. Luke. The beloved physician (Colossians 4:14). The author of Luke-Acts. The man who traveled with Paul, recorded his journeys, and wrote more of the New Testament by word count than any other author. Lucas — quiet, faithful, present. The doctor who stayed when the fighters left.

The team at any given moment includes future heroes and future deserters. You can't always tell which is which by looking at the current roster. Mark looks like a failure and becomes faithful. Demas looks like a co-worker and becomes a deserter. The snapshot is accurate for today. Tomorrow's snapshot may tell a different story.

Commentary

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Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture