[Epaphroditus] was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow
– Philippians 2:27
There is no indication that Paul was confident God would heal Epaphroditus, nor did Paul himself try to affect such a healing. We may think that Paul should have just stretched out his hand and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!” but that did not happen. Nonetheless, the secret of the church life can be seen in Paul’s conduct toward Epaphroditus, which is that we must exercise the humanity of Jesus more than the power of God.
Paul had healed people (Acts 14:8–10; 19:11–12; 28:8) and even raised at least one person from the dead (20:7–12), but at that moment, in that particular place, there was no leading from the Lord to heal Epaphroditus, nor did Paul have the assurance he would get better. Therefore his concern was heavy. As he saw his brother suffering, he also suffered. It caused him sorrow, and if Epaphroditus died at this point, it would have brought sorrow upon sorrow. But God had mercy on both Epaphroditus and Paul, and Epaphroditus recovered. Paul was a great apostle, but the humanity of Jesus he displayed is more precious than any outward exercise of power.
Adapted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ, by Titus Chu, page 168.
Tomorrow: “The Exercise of the Humanity of Jesus (2)”