There was once a great man mentioned in the Bible. He did amazing wonders for the sake of the Lord! This man delivered letters, financial gifts from churches, and tradition shares he even became a Bishop. This man… was Tychicus. This man wasn’t an apostle, or even mentioned many times within the Bible. The passage that speaks of Tychicus the most actually comes from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, where he speaks greatly of Tychicus. However, as many of us realize, this great bishop is almost never mentioned within Bible studies, sermons, or examples of the great saints of the Faith. We hear many stories of the wonders that Paul, Peter, and many other people did, but Tychicus seems almost like the quiet person in the back of the classroom minding his own.
Why do I emphasize this point? Last week, I wrote on the importance of living as free Christians in the Lord as He taught us in John 8. Well, many of us can be scared to live like a Christian intentionally. “Where do I even begin?” or “I don’t know how to even do that!” are often spoken within this very context. Thus, this is where the story of Tychicus comes into play. No one knows when Tychicus lived or died, nor are there many records of all that he did aside from what the Scriptures tell us. Yet, that didn’t matter to Tychicus. He didn’t want to do things to get his name written among “the greats”, he didn’t sign up to be a Christian to see if he could be friends with the famous names of other saints. Instead, he saw what needed to be done or taught, and simply went to work. The passage in Ephesians speaks of Tychicus as a “Beloved brother”, a “faithful minister” and one who “may encourage your hearts”. As many of us are afraid to do something for the Lord in the public spectacle, Tychicus simply did something knowing that God will see it, use it, and be glorified by it. This should be our example: to be beloved to one another, minister faithfully unto the Lord and unto one another, and encourage each other in the Word of the Lord.
And, if the only one to see what you do is the Great Lord Jesus Christ, may you find exceeding joy and comfort in knowing that He sees your work, and is delighted when you worship Him in doing your work. Take courage, and work like Tychicus. God Bless!
