Colossians 4:8 – An Encouraging Report

8 whom I send to you for this same thing, that you may know that which concerns you and he should be consoling your hearts,

Paul states here the purpose of Tychicus’s coming to Colosse. Almost the same words are found in Ephesians 6:21–22. Apparently, Tychicus brought both letters to Asia Minor at the same time. He was not only the courier of Paul’s letters, but also Paul’s personal spokesman. Whatever Paul had not included in his letter to the ecclesia, Tychicus would explain in person.

Only a few verses earlier, Paul had written that he was imprisoned for the sake of “the secret of Christ” (4:3). His imprisonment was not a setback to his ministry; rather, it was its visible expression. Therefore, when Tychicus reported on “the things concerning us,” the Colossians would hear not only how Paul and those with him were faring, but also how the good news was advancing from within that very imprisonment.

For precisely that reason, Tychicus’s oral report was not merely meant to inform. He would not only bring the Colossians up to date on “the things concerning us,” but, by doing so, above all encourage their hearts. Informing and encouraging the Colossians are not two separate objectives here. What Tychicus had to report was itself the encouragement.

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