Wrapped up Philippians 2 this morning. The chapter begins with a call to humility and ends with a command to honor. (Hmm . . . humility to honor . . . sounds like opposite ends of a spectrum to me.) And who should we honor? People like him.

Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.

(Philippians 2:29-30 CSB)

Hold people like him in honor. That’s the command to obey that I’m chewing on this morning. Paul shifts from the specific to the general, from focusing on a single person to calling out a type of person. And people like him, says Paul, hold them in honor.

Okay, so who’s him? (Hint: it’s not Jesus). Him is Epaphroditus (2:25). He was a lovely person . . . literally. That’s what Epaphroditus means; lovely. But that’s not the reason Paul says to honor him. It’s easy to honor the lovely people, easy to prize the pretty and esteem the extraordinary. Our culture has wired us to fawn over the famous. We honor those who are in the spotlight just because they made it to the spotlight. We regard those who seem head and shoulders above everyone else. That’s not the people like him Paul’s talking about.

Instead, people like him are described as workers, and soldiers, and ministers, oh my (2:25). Known more for their servanthood than their celebrity status. Noticed because of their demonstrated sacrifice rather than their self-assured swagger. Those whose heart is for others, even at the expense of themselves. Those who are willing to come “close to death for the work of Christ.” That’s the people like him we are to hold in high regard.

People like Epaphroditus who brought a much-needed gift from the church at Philippi to Paul in Rome. Who pressed on despite becoming gravely ill. Who was distressed at hearing how distressed his brothers and sisters in the church were at hearing he had nearly died (2:26). A person marked by looking not to his own interests but the interests of others. A person who considered others more important than themselves. Hey! Wait a minute! Isn’t chapter 2’s ending sounding a lot like it’s beginning (2:3-4)? Seems we’re still on the humility side of the spectrum even as we talk honor.

So, people like Him are people like Jesus who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life away for others (Mk. 10:45). Wanna know what adopting “the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus” (2:5) looks like for people who aren’t Christ Jesus? It looks like people like him. Honor them, says Paul.

We are to honor those who humble themselves. After all, God does.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

(James 4:10 CSB)

Oh, that people like us would be more like people like him.

Only by God’s grace. Always for God’s glory.