“I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.” – Romans 16:22
Tucked inside Paul’s closing greetings is a name we almost miss—Tertius. For the first and only time in Scripture, we meet the man who physically wrote one of Paul’s letters. “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord” (Romans 16:22, NKJV). Tertius wasn’t a preacher, missionary, or church planter. He was a scribe—a man with ink‑stained hands and a servant’s heart. Yet Paul lets him step into the spotlight for a moment. Tertius represents every unseen helper who made Paul’s ministry possible—the ones who wrote, carried, served, and sacrificed behind the scenes. His presence reminds us that no great servant of God ever stands alone. Ministry is built on the backs of humble helpers, and God sees every one of them.
As Paul continues his greetings, the scene feels less like a theological treatise and more like a family gathering. It’s as if the camera pans around the room—Timothy, Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, Gaius, Quartus, even Erastus, the city treasurer—each one waving hello. These aren’t just names on a page; they are flesh‑and‑blood believers who walked with Paul, prayed with him, suffered with him, and now want to send their love to the church in Rome. Bishop H.C.G. Moule once imagined Paul dictating this letter in the home of Gaius, friends drifting in throughout the day, the room filling with warmth, laughter, and shared memories. Before Paul could finish, he had to pour out the affection overflowing in his heart. R. Kent Hughes pictures Timothy, Jason, Lucius, and Sosipater leaning in, interrupting Paul with, “Say hi for me!” It’s not hard to imagine—we’ve all done the same thing.
Romans 16 reminds us that the church is not an institution—it’s a family. It’s not just doctrine—it’s people. The gospel doesn’t travel only through sermons; it travels through friendships, hospitality, teamwork, and shared burdens. A Washington Post story described a group of New York nurses who, after months of isolation during the COVID pandemic, began gathering in a hospital chapel to pray and share stories. One nurse said, “We needed to remember that we weren’t alone. That we were still a team. That we were still family.” That’s exactly what Paul is doing here. He’s reminding the church in Rome—and us—that we are not alone. We belong to a body. We belong to each other. And God delights in every faithful servant, whether their name is well‑known or rarely spoken.
Serve faithfully, even when no one sees. Encourage someone in your church family today. Send a greeting, offer hospitality, pray with someone, or support a servant of God. Remember—God honors the overlooked, remembers the faithful, and uses ordinary people to build His extraordinary kingdom. Let your life be part of the story He is writing.
“The world crowns its great ones; God crowns the faithful ones.”— F.B. Meyer
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