Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Do individual people matter?

Do you matter?

We want the answer to be yes.

But in our culture, they answer is frequently no.

We live in an era of seemingly unprecedented division and competition where everyone is lumped into some large grouping and seen as pitted against other groups.

In a very real sense, fascism has become a normal part of society that we usually see in the other groups, but not our own.

If we are not careful, we can mirror our broader culture too closely which has the effect minimizing other people and even marginalizing ourselves.

Transition

The Apostle Paul, as he concludes his letter to the church at Colosse, raises the lights on a few people that he thought were important enough to mention.

Illumination

Three Very Different Men

A Reliable Associate: Tychicus, 7-8

Timothy was at Ephesus, so Tychicus would have been his relief.

A Runaway Slave: Onesimus, 9

A Redeemed Asset: Mark, 10

Mark was clearly important to Paul

Mark has an interesting story.

He began as the son of Mary, who owned the house with the famous Upper Room where the earliest church met.

Mark, as highlighted by Paul, was either Barnabas’ cousin (making Barnabas the sone of Mary’s sibling) or Barnabas’ nephew (making Barnabas Mary’s brother); the Greek word can go either way but it makes them family either way.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from Jerusalem, they had Mark with them.

When Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey, Mark went with them.

Early in the journey, Mark left the team and went home.

We do not know why.

As Paul and Barnabas prepared to leave on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark again.

Paul disagreed so sharply that Paul and Barnabas parted ways.

The narrative in Acts follows Paul, not Barnabas.

We can fill in the blanks from a few clues:

Barnabas and Mark left Antioch on some missionary/evangelistic effort.

Eusebius, the fourth-century historian and bishop of Caesarea quotes Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis at the start of the second century, as saying that:

Mark is the author of the Gospel attributed to him, and

Mark received his information from Peter’s teaching

Peter’s ministry was focused in the area of Babylon, meaning Mark eventually found his way there, probably with Barnabas, so we get the sense they may have headed east while Paul and Co. headed west.

Mark gained knowledge, experience, and consistency working with Barnabas and then Peter

At some point, Mark and Paul reconciled their relationship

Aside from being useful to Paul, John Mark, as the author of the Gospel of Mark, is pretty useful to everyone.

Three Very Similar Men

The very important thing that all of these men have in common is that they were important to Paul and highlighted here by Paul.

Paul closed all of his letters with a list of names, some of whom are known to us and some of whom are not.

He mentions them for three important reasons:

They were important to Paul and he wanted to Introduce them

They were important to the recipients, in this case the Church at Colosse, and Paul wanted to highlight them

They were important because people are important.

Conclusion

Paul maintains a biblical practice of mentioning, and thus enshrining in Scripture, people unknown to most of the world.

The reason this practice is so prevalent is because individual people, more so than people collectively, matter to God, matter to Paul, and should matter to us.

Application

Since people are important and matter to God

Each of us is important…regardless of how how current circumstances makes us feel about ourselves

The people around us are important…regardless of how current circumstances make us feel about them

It is not easy, but since every individual person is important, we have both the obligation to understand our own importance and the opportunity to help others understand their importance.

Yes, it is easier to tear down, but God calls us to build up.