Today’s passage is short, only three verses. In fact only verses two and three have a thematic unity. Verse one is a thought continuation of the previous chapter. In this verse he calls them “my joy and my crown”. It is an inspiring and affirming word after he has just said some difficult things in chapter 3 vs 18-19, and a plea in chapter 4 vs 2, and just before he makes mention of a dispute in the next verses. Paul is so filled with the grace of God that he is able to teach difficult things and to care in the same breath.
Euodia and Syntyche are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. Neither are we told of the nature of their issues. We learn that they have worked closely with Paul and that they have a disagreement that Paul has come to know about. He pleads with them to be united.
It is worth noting that Paul is not vindictive. Use your imagination a little. Surely there must have been some wrong done by one of the ladies. One of these ladies had probably hurt the other terribly. But the details are deliberately omitted. He neither takes sides nor dwell much on the dispute. He chooses to focus on what is helpful, what will build the rest of the church up, what will advance the gospel. He even esteems them when he recognizes their work with him for the sake of the gospel. Perhaps they will discover that their issue is not such a big deal after all. Someone has said that half the things that we so passionately fight or disagree about are not worth the fight at all.
The appeal is not just to the two women, it is also to the other believers to take an active part, not to take sides but help the two women end their differences.
I read of two nuns who lived together. One nun was very kind, gentle and caring. But the other nun was mean, never got along with anyone else so no one wanted to share quarters with her. The kind nun offered to live with her. When she was asked why she offered, she said, “I think it is a terrible burden to have a nature like hers, but it is even worse that she is not aware that she is carrying such a burden. I ought to be more understanding and love her as she is.”
Paul writes to the Corinthians “from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come” (2Cor 5: 17). No matter how insufferable some Christians get, we need to see them through the eyes of Christ. God has found them worthy of his love and attention, and if they happen to be serving him, he has chosen or allowed them to be where they are serving him. Let us see what God is doing and can do, and we will find the strength to pray and be compassionate towards them. God may also use their difficult nature to make us more like Christ as we learn to love them for who they are.
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