Col 4 | TNotes | STEP | 4:1 Masters: Christian slave owners had to recognize that they, too, were slaves bound to obey Jesus Christ, their Master in heaven who treats all people with dignity and grace.

4:1 ^a Masters: Christian slave owners had to recognize that they, too, were slaves bound to obey Jesus Christ, their Master in heaven who treats all people with dignity and grace.
Summary for Col 4:2-6: 4:2-6 ^b New Testament letters often end with an exhortation to pray, along with requests for prayer. 4:2 ^c with an alert mind: The Greek verb behind this phrase is used in the New Testament to portray the need for Christians to be watchful in light of Christ’s return (Matt 24:42 ^d; 25:13 ^e; Mark 13:35 ^f, 37 ^g; 1 Thes 5:6 ^h; Rev 3:3 ⁱ; 16:15 ^j).
4:3 ^k that God will give us many opportunities (literally that God might open for us a door): An open door is a metaphor for an opportunity to proclaim the Good News (see also Acts 14:27 ^l; 1 Cor 16:9 ^m; 2 Cor 2:12 ⁿ).

• his mysterious plan concerning Christ: See Col 1:26-27 ^o; 2:2 ^p.

• That is why I am here in chains: Paul’s dedication to preaching the Good News had led to his imprisonment (see Colossians Book Introduction, “Date and Occasion of Writing”).
4:5 ^q make the most of every opportunity (literally buy up the time): Like people who are buying up a product offered at a good price, Christians are to “buy up” every opportunity God gives them to share the Good News and to serve others.
4:6 ^r attractive (literally seasoned with salt): Salt is both a seasoning and a preservative (see Matt 5:13 ^s). Paul might be encouraging Christians to speak to unbelievers in words that are well chosen and winsome. The rabbis occasionally referred to wisdom as salt, so Paul might also be exhorting Christians to speak wisely.
Summary for Col 4:7-18: 4:7-18 ^t Most New Testament letters end with a series of greetings and references to co-workers and travel plans, but this part of Colossians is longer than normal. Paul, being unable to travel, might have been seeking to ensure that the Colossians maintain connections with his co-workers. This would help them not to fall for the enticements of the false teachers. 4:7 ^u Tychicus was from the province of Asia, where Colosse was located (Acts 20:4 ^v). He worked with Paul especially in that province (Eph 6:21 ^w; 2 Tim 4:12 ^x). He was later sent to work with Titus in Crete (Titus 3:12 ^y). Tychicus probably carried this letter along with the letters known as Ephesians and Philemon.
4:9 ^z Onesimus was the runaway slave whom Paul was sending back to his master Philemon (see the book of Philemon).
Summary for Col 4:10-14: 4:10-14 ^aa Of the six people named, five are also mentioned in Phlm 1:23-24 ^ab. 4:10 ^ac Aristarchus was a common name, but he was probably the same man from Thessalonica (Acts 19:29 ^ad; 20:4 ^ae) who accompanied Paul on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:2 ^af). Acts does not suggest that Aristarchus was also under arrest, so perhaps he was in prison with Paul voluntarily, sharing his confinement in order to encourage him and assist him in ministry.

• Mark, Barnabas’s cousin, had gone with Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey but had left them before the journey was finished (Acts 13:13 ^ag). That desertion led to a split between Paul and Barnabas as the second journey was about to begin (Acts 15:37-40 ^ah). Paul and Mark were apparently now reconciled (see also 2 Tim 4:11 ^ai; Phlm 1:24 ^aj).

• As you were instructed before: There is no other record of this communication.
4:11 ^ak Jesus (the one we call Justus) is mentioned only here in the New Testament. The surname Justus is included because Jesus (which means the Lord saves) was a common name among Jews in the first century.
4:13 ^al Laodicea and Hierapolis were the two most important cities in the Lycus River valley. The fact that Epaphras prayed for the believers in Colosse and in these nearby cities suggests that he was the pioneering evangelist in all three cities.
4:14 ^am Luke, the beloved doctor, is well known as the author of Acts and the Gospel bearing his name. This verse is the sole evidence for two facts about Luke: He was a doctor, and he was not a Jewish believer (see Col 4:10-11 ^an).

• In contrast to the other people mentioned in this passage, no details are given about Demas. Perhaps Paul did not know him well. Demas later deserted Paul (2 Tim 4:10 ^ao).
4:15 ^ap Nympha and the church that meets in her house: In the first two centuries of the Christian church, almost all believers met for worship in private homes. Nothing else is known of Nympha.
4:16 ^aq you should read the letter I wrote to them: Various attempts have been made over the years to identify the letter to the Laodiceans with a New Testament letter or fragment, but it is most likely that Paul’s letter to the Laodicean church has been lost.
4:17 ^ar Archippus: See also Phlm 1:2 ^as. We have no way of knowing more about the ministry the Lord gave him.
4:18 ^at Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul: Like most ancient letters, Colossians was probably dictated by Paul to a scribe, or amanuensis, who would have been trained to write neatly and compactly. As a way of authenticating the letter, Paul added his own handwritten greeting at the end (cp. Paul’s comment in 2 Thes 2:2 ^au).