You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. - 2 Timothy 1:15-16 (ESV)
Here there are two types of friends.
The first set are those who proclaim their loyalty and commitment only to back away when times get tough. They are cheerleaders in good times and your worst enemies in bad times. Paul's friends from Asia (probably people that came to Rome with him and probably from Ephesus and churches around that region), including people of some significance (Phygelus and Hermogenes), left him alone to rot in jail.
The second set are people who will back you in a bar fight. In a bar fight, it is tough to say who started what. You got drunk people bumping into one another and trying to figure out what everyone else is thinking. Some people get mean when they get drunk. Throw into the mix a bit of history or jealousy and fights can just break out. In a bar fight, loyalty triumphs. True friends will come to your side in a bar fight. False friends let you get beat.
Onesiphorus and his family were a true friends. Onesiphorus (which means help-bringer!) came to Paul's aid in Ephesus and now searched hard to find him in a Roman prison. When it got tough, he came to the fight. This is the type of friend we need; this is the type of friend we need to be.
2 comments:
You know too much about bar fights :)
Tim
lol
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