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Bible Study -
Bible Study
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Contributed by Phil Spadaro
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Thursday, 14 September 2006 |
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Page 1 of 2  Conflict  & resolution
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other
in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who
have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with
Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book
of life.
There is little mentioned about the disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche. The passage above is the only reference to them. We do not know what the basis of the argument was or the resolution. We do know it was significant enough for Paul to write to these two women in a public letter. Although this is a small passage there is much to be learned from it.
“I plead...to agree with each other in the Lord.” The Holman translation uses “urge” instead of plead. Either way, Paul felt the need to address this situation. Remember this is a letter intended to be read aloud to the entire congregation at Philippi. Paul's exhortation has several elements which will hopefully heal the rift in the church. I would highly recommend reading The Body Broken, pages 51-76 for a more detailed and intimate understanding of division in Philippians. (Reese [51-76])
The first element of initiating agreement in the Lord is addressing that there is an issue and explicitly naming the involved parties. Paul does not guess there is a problem; he knows. He also knows who is involved. Explicitly calling out names is not gossip or intended for embarrassment (Reese [68]), it assures the listeners will know who is in need of repentance. When addressing conflict or division within our congregations can we confidently say that there is a problem, or do we allow sentimentality to relieve us of the burden of calling it sin? It is obvious Paul knew these women, but did not permit his friendship to supersede the necessity of dealing with the iniquity.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 September 2006 )
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