The Big O Is No Zero

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus” (2Tim 1:16-18).

There are just some people who stoke your fire. Folks who make you feel like you can’t lose. Friends who deepen your faith. Friends who fill your tank. Who’s that for you? Who’s name do you love seeing come up on your phone? Who do look forward to hanging out with because you just know they don’t want anything other than to lift you up? 

Paul had a buddy like that. His name was Onesiphorus. The Big O was such close friend that the apostle wrote some VERY kind words about him in the very last letter he wrote just before he died. “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus” (v16-18). 

Did you catch Paul’s situation? In Rome. In chains. In desperate need of a pick-me-up. And look who shows up. The one and only Onesiphorus! It’s just another reminder that this little book of the Bible we call 2nd Timothy is really just a very personal letter. A letter from a real person (Paul) in a real place (a prison in Rome) with real problems (on Death Row) to another real person (Timothy). 

The apostle brings his protege up to speed on his desperate circumstances. He urgently pleads with Tim to hit the road and come see him (2Tim 4:9, 21). The dude formerly known as Saul knows he has a date with the executioner sometime very soon (2Tim 4:6-7). Just in case the young pastor doesn’t get there in time, Paul passes the baton of ministry to him in writing (2Tim 2:1-4:5).

Here in chapter one, he tells Tim that some guy with a very strange name has a very special place in his heart. Let’s face it, not too many parents are naming their son Onesiphorus these days. And that actually may not be his real name at all. Remember, Paul is serving hard time in Caesar’s SuperMax. He may be giving the Big O a nickname. Was this like a code name in case Roman authorities read or intercept the letter before it makes it to Timothy? 

That would make a lot of sense. In the previous verse, the apostle called out two knuckleheads named Phygelus and Hermogenes for going AWOL (2Tim 1:15). A little detective work into the original language reveals these are most likely handles cooked up to keep their real names out. They’ve earned the notorious nicknames of Li’l Fugitive and the Flash. 

So if Onesiphorus isn’t the guy’s real name, what does it mean? It describes someone who is profitable, and useful. He’s so beneficial, we could call him “Benny.” When he’s around, he always makes sure your life runs in the black, not in the red. Someone with that sort of rep would certainly be enthusiastic, friendly, likable, courageous, fiery, passionate, and have a deep faith. Yeah, the Big O is anything but a big zero. 

According to the tradition of the Orthodox church, Jesus handpicked the Big O as one of he 70-plus disciples to act His Gospel advance team (Lk 10:1-12). They returned telling all sorts of crazy stories of God’s supernatural work against Satan, sin, and death (Lk 10:17-24). He later becomes Saint Onesiphorus, serving as a church leader in what we know today as Turkey as well as Corinth over in Greece. He died as a martyr because of his faith in Jesus near the city of Ephesus. Seems his executioners tied him between two teams of horses headed in opposite directions. 

How much of that is it true? Not sure. But we DO know he was one on the short list of Paul’s faves. Here’s what we do know about the Big O from these verses. He had a well-known rep as a key servant/leader in the church the apostle planted in Ephesus. Most of his family are followers of Jesus. He repeatedly was a breath of fresh air for Paul. He certainly wasn’t embarrassed by his friendship with someone behind bars. Onesiphorus personally went the extra mile to find the apostle walking the Green Mile in Rome’s infamous Mamertine Prison. 

Paul prays not once but twice for God to bless the Big O and his family. “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus…may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord” (v16, 18). The apostle trusts Jesus will be good on His own words from His most famous message. In the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount, our Savior boldly proclaims, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Mt 5:7). If we want to get God’s mercy, we’ll give mercy to others. Generously. Lavishly. Extravagantly. Christ opens up His fire hydrant of blessing on those of us who aren’t stingy with our blessing. Onesiphorus didn’t hold back. The Big O was anything but a big zero.

The apostle gets down to the nitty gritty on why his buddy is a prime candidate for God’s goodness. First of all, “he often refreshed me” (v16). Paul uses a word here (Gr. anaspucho) which means to cheer up in person or encourage somebody who’s in deep trouble or a state of high anxiety. While I’ve never been there myself, I’m pretty sure having a capital punishment hanging over my head would mean I’m in deep trouble and a state of high anxiety! 

Anaspucho literally describes giving someone room to breathe. You help them catch their breath and provide a cool breeze. Take a look around. Who needs help? Who’s worn out, worn down, and worn to a frazzle. God wants to use you and me to revive them, restore them, and help them recover. And I need to remember that when my own tank is on “E,” those people who come to my rescue are actually sent by Jesus. The Lord is the ultimate source of refreshment for the weary and wiped out (Acts 3:20). 

The Big O didn’t just swoop in to perk up Paul once, maybe twice. The apostle makes it clear that he did it frequently. Not just random refreshment. Regularly. Repeatedly. This was no one-and-done deal. Onesiphorus made helping his friend a habit. 

Paul’s situation wasn’t an embarrassment to Onesiphorus. He certainly “was not ashamed of my chains” (v16). Unlike Phygelus and Hermogenes who left the apostle swinging in the breeze (2Tim 1:15). Following Jesus gets messy because God’s people are messy. Following Jesus gets messy because He’s always going into the mess. Our mess. He’s certainly not rattled by it. We shouldn’t be either. Onesiphorus leans in when Paul is locked up. Earlier, the apostle encourages Tim to “not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner” (2Tim 1:8). Paul is certainly “not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed” (2Tim 1:12). 

Are there fellow followers of Jesus who embarrass you? Maybe just a little? You know the people I’m talking about, don’t you? You cringe when you think they’re just a little too bold about their Savior. They have a high JPM. Not familiar with the term? That’s “Jesus per Minute.” Maybe they’re continually giving credit to Christ for all of His blessings. Maybe they’re always prepping for a mission trip to help others in the Lord’s name and asking you to go. Maybe you think they’re just a little too quick to pull the trigger on telling others about their love for Jesus. Maybe they’ve taken a controversial stand on an issue because of what they believe.

Instead of pretending you don’t know them, take a page out of the Onesiphorus playbook. Go to them. Refresh them. Stand with them. Encourage them. Pray for them. Follow the Big O’s example. Don’t freak out. Cowboy up. And just where do you think he got this crazy idea? From Jesus Himself. He didn’t let the dubious reputation of those He came to save stand in His way. Remember how the religious snobs lost their ever lovin’ minds anytime the radical Rabbi/Carpenter hung out with the wrong crowd. Christ is willing to have His name associated with some sketchy folks. Like me. Like you. Let’s show mercy because Jesus has shown us mercy.

Onesiphorus didn’t just have warm fuzzy feelings for Paul from the comfort of his Ephesian couch. When he got the news that his friend was in behind the eight ball, it was time for a road trip. If you’re curious, a check of the map tells us the journey from Ephesus to Rome is jaunt of 1,300 miles. “When he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me” (v17). 

This was no casual search for the apostle. Paul describes Onesiphorus as scouring the city “earnestly.” The writer uses a very descriptive word (Gr. spoudaioteron) which means urgently, zealously, diligently, actively, and with great intensity. He totally devoted himself to the search for his friend. Think of those classic scenes from “Star Trek” when Captain Kirk begs Mr. Scott for more speed from the Starship Enterprise. Scotty always responds, “I’m giving you everything she’s got, Captain!” You can almost see the Big O spending every waking hour asking anyone and everyone if they know Paul’s location.

Again, Onesiphorus is simply doing for Paul what Jesus did for us. He left heaven on the greatest search and rescue mission the universe has ever seen. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Our Savior rolled up His sleeves to dive into the mess we’ve made and pull us to eternal safety. In case you were wondering, there’s no way we can save ourselves. We desperately need outside intervention. Divine intervention.

When we trashed God’s perfect creation, Christ didn’t throw up His hands. He got involved. Jesus is the model Missionary. He searched for us earnestly and found us. When Li’l Fugitive and the Flash turned tail and ran when Paul was arrested (2Tim , the Big O did just the opposite. He went looking for the apostle. Just like the Lord did for you and me. 

Some folks wonder if the Big O is still alive when Paul writes to Timothy. They believe that’s why the apostle asks for Jesus to bless “the household of Onesiphorus” (v16). Near the end of the letter, the apostle uses that very same phrase when telling Tim to say “hey” to “the household of Onesiphorus” (2Tim 4:19). He’s apparently not in Rome with him since Paul goes out of his way to say “Luke alone is with me” (2Tim 4:11). While we can’t be 100% sure of Onesiphorus’ status, Paul certainly asks Christ for an extra heapin’ helpin’ of mercy when the Lord makes His final return trip (v18).

So who’s the one God puts in your life to pick you up when you’re down? Who’s the person who revs your engine when it’s running rough? Who goes out of their way to come looking for you when you’re not around (maybe even running away!)? Who’s your Onesiphorus? Now turn it around. Who can you encourage? Who can you refresh? Who do you need to go search and rescue? Who needs YOU to be their Onesiphorus? Don’t forget. The Big O was anything but a big zero.

Embrace the Disgrace of Grace

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God” (2Tim 1:8).

Every family has one. At least one! That one weird relative who causes the rest of you to cringe when they roll up to the reunion. Your uncle in black socks and sandals. Your crazy cat lady cousin. Maybe it’s their awful sense of humor or their bad case of B.O. Every family has somebody who brings more than their share of funk to the dysfunction. By the way, if you don’t know anyone in your family like that, there’s a pretty good chance it might be you! 

In a letter to his own spiritual son, Paul tells Timothy not be embarrassed. “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God” (v8). Never be embarrassed to tell people about Jesus. Never be embarrassed by your friendship with those who suffer for telling people about Jesus. God gives you the power to suffer when telling people about Jesus. 

Embrace the disgrace of grace.

Before we go any further, let’s back up just a bit. In order to know how to apply any passage in the Bible to our lives, we have to understand how and why it was written in the first place. What we call the book of 2nd Timothy is actually not a book at all. It’s a letter from the Apostle Paul to his protege Tim. The author is behind bars at the notorious Mamertine Prison in Rome. He’s on Death Row (2Tim 4:6-7). Paul hopes to see Tim one last time before his execution (2Tim 1:4; 4:9, 21). The apostle uses this letter to encourage the young pastor to carry on the mission of boldly telling the world about Jesus after his own death.

Paul begins verse eight with “Therefore.” As the great Bible expert A.T. Robertson used to day, “Anytime you see the word ‘therefore,’ you have to stop and ask what is it there for?” You see, “therefore” is a conjunction or a connecting word. If your my age, you have to ask the musical question, “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?” “Therefore” is the little Greek word oun. It introduces a logical result of what came just before it. You can translate it with words like so, accordingly, then, consequently, or in conclusion.

So it’s important to check the scriptural rearview mirror at this point. In the previous verse, Paul reminds Tim that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2Tim 1:7). By dropping “therefore,” the apostle connects that idea to the next one. There’s no reason a coward for Christ. Live life fearlessly in God’s power, love, and focus. 

“Therefore do not be ashamed” (v8). Paul connects any fearful spirit I might have about following Jesus with any embarrassment I might feel about my faith. That’s the reason “therefore” is there for. The apostle then uses a word translated “ashamed” in just about every version of the Bible. The Greek verb epaischunomai paints a picture of someone who has a sense of guilt or remorse, reluctance, disgrace, or embarrassment about someone or something. It’s the opposite of being bold and wanting everyone to know. You hesitate. You have second thoughts. You lack courage to have your name mentioned in the same sentence. 

Two different Gospel writers drop a quote from Jesus using this very same word. “For whoever is ashamed (Gr. epaischunomai) of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed (Gr. epaischunomai) when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26). If I give Him the Heisman now, He’ll be embarrassed of me when He returns for His spectacular encore.

In a letter to Roman believers, Paul makes an incredibly bold statement about his commitment to Christ’s message of grace. “For I am not ashamed (Gr. epaischunomai) of the Gospel” (Rom 1:16) The apostle only uses this word a grand total of five times and three of those are here in his letter to Tim. The man from Tarsus suffers in the slammer for His Savior, “but I am not ashamed (Gr. epaischunomai), for I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2Tim 1:12). When Onesiphorus visited Rome to help Paul in prison and he “not ashamed (Gr. epaischunomai) of my chains” (2Tim 1:16).

The apostle tells Tim NOT to be embarrassed to be associated with two specific things. “The testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner” (v8). Do you treat the Gospel like it a hand grenade with the pin pulled out? Do you avoid talking about it, sharing it, or even claiming it? Maybe you don’t feel qualified to answer all the questions. That’s okay. Neither do I. Just do what Jesus’ first followers did. Simply tell folks about His resurrection. Did you realize it’s the breaking news of the Book of Acts (Acts 2:22-36; 3:13-18; 4:10-12, 33; 5:29-32; 10:27-37; 17:23, 30-32; 23:6; 24:14-16; 25:19; 26:12-18, 23)?

Don’t feel up to arguing about a literal seven-day Creation? Does making the case for Noah’s boat-building skills and worldwide flood make your head hurt? Relax. Take a page out of the apostle’s playbook and talk about “the testimony of our Lord” (v8). God made a perfect universe. We broke it. Jesus left the comforts of heaven and came to our rescue. He lived the completely obedient life we failed to live. He died the death for our sin we should have died. He rose to the glorious new life we don’t deserve. That’s the Gospel. That’s “the testimony of the Lord” (v8). No reason to be embarrassed of that. He did for us what we could never dream of doing for ourselves.

Paul tells Tim there’s no reason to be ashamed his mentor’s death sentence for telling people about Jesus. Notice just Who’s responsible for his being behind bars. The apostle says he is “His prisoner” (v8). And by “His,” he means Jesus. Sure, Paul had his enemies every place he preached. They put a hit out on him. A quick read of Acts will tell you that. But he knows the One who’s really behind it all. That’s His Lord (Eph 3:1; 4:1; Phil 1:13). The apostle goes so far as to conclude“what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel” (Phil 1:12). He might be in Caesar’s prison but he is Jesus’ prisoner. No matter where I am, I am still His. God puts me where I need to be to tell others about Him. 

Paul doesn’t want Tim to be embarrassed by their friendship. He might be in the slammer but, I mean, the dude did go on to write a boatload of the New Testament. No reason to put distance between yourself and Paul. But I have confession to make. There are other followers of Jesus who make me cringe more than a little. Sometimes it’s a blow-dried televangelist. Sometimes it’s a confrontational street preacher. And I’m sure there are more than a few believers who wouldn’t claim me either!

We need to remember that the Family of God has more than it’s fair share of goofballs, freaks, and weirdos. Don’t believe me? God uses an endless parade of screwballs and misfits throughout the pages of Scripture. Rich Mullins once said, “The thing I like most about the Bible are all the weirdos in it.” Drunken Noah passes out naked in his tent (Gen 9:21). Isaiah stripped and walked around buck naked (Isaiah 20:2). King David embarrasses his wife when he dances in his underwear (2Sam 6:16-22). Then there’s Jesus’ weird bug-eating cousin John the Dunker (Mt 3:4). Paul tells the Corinthians how God specializes in handpicking “what is foolish to shame the wise” (1Cor 1:27). It kinda makes your family reunion look like a episode of Downton Abbey.

But a little social awkwardness is really nothing compared to the possibility suffering for your faith. Paul encourages Timothy to “share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God” (v8). There’s a pretty good chance the apostle actually invented a whole new term that the folks at the ESV translate as “share in suffering (Gr. sugkakopatheo).” It’s a compound word that literally means “together bad suffering.” Following Jesus is a team sport. We don’t do it alone. We laugh and cry together (Rom 12:15). And even when we feel like we’re flying solo, Christ promises to always be there (Mt 28:20). He gives us His Holy Spirit as an unlimited power source to endure whatever comes our way. 

Here’s the bottom line. God’s family is no different than yours or mine. It’s full of in-laws, outlaws, and scofflaws. There are going to be uncomfortable and cringe-worthy moments. But we need to stand with each other as a family when times get tough. ESPECIALLY when times get tough. And they ARE going to get tough! We can count on Jesus to give us the strength we need when we need it. In the meantime, let’s embrace the disgrace of grace.