Sunday, 16 February 2014
Greet Herodion, my countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Romans 16:11
Continuing on with his greetings of so many in Rome, Paul now directs his attention to Herodion stating that he is “my countryman.” This means he is a converted Jew, but possibly even of the same tribe, Benjamin, as Paul was. This can’t be certain however. The name Herodion also may lead to the family of Herod mentioned in the Gospels. This also is only conjecture, but the name may imply this.
After Herodion, Paul next asks for greetings for “those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.” Again, speculation must enter into exactly what this means, but a good guess is that Narcissus was either dead, famous, or otherwise noted. In his house, and in a such a state, some of the people there were believers, but not all. Whoever he was or whatever his state, he was well known enough by name to generate this type of note.
Life application: There is nothing wrong with identifying people who are close to you in an elevated manner. This doesn’t mean they are somehow better than others, but they are of note to you. Paul has been careful to make mention of others in a way which brings people to mind while still not diminishing anyone that he may fail to acknowledge.
Lord, you have given me many tasks to accomplish throughout my days. Help me to prioritize them in a way which will make the most effective use of my time. But help me to remember that each thing I do should bring honor to Your name. May I not be slack in fulfilling all the things that I should. I wish to use this one life to serve You to the utmost. Help me in this, Lord. Amen.